Something To Live For
by Duo-chan
Summary: Duo is the devil reincarnate during a time of political tension. Every ruler wants him for their own reasons. The problem is that there is only one person in the world who can control him. M: NCS, sexual content, language, angst, slash. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Chapter 1 -   
  
Duo sat in an alley, shivering. His arms wrapped around his knees hugging them tightly to his chest and he was rocking back and forth muttering something that sounded like a prayer or confession. "Please forgive me God. I didn't mean to do it. I was just scared. Do you believe me God? I didn't want to do it. I didn't even know I was doing it. I did it by accident God. I really didn't mean to do it. Not again. And I could have gotten away, I know that. But I got too scared. I'm sorry God. What do I need to do for you to forgive me God? How do I stop doing this?" The sixteen-year-old boy stopped speaking but he continued to rock himself.   
  
He closed his eyes and when he opened them again he saw the body lying in front of him. Shakily he got to his feet and walked to the opening of the alley. Peeking his head out he looked either way in the crowded streets and then slipped into the crowd, staying near the buildings to refrain from touching anybody. He was suddenly startled when he heard the loud clatter of horses and men shouting.  
  
"There he is!"  
  
Forgetting about the body that lay behind him, Duo started to run, but he knew that it was a feeble attempt to get away. The horses were already too close and people were rushing to get out of the way of them, but nobody was moving for him. He was about to duck into a shop when a brave man stepped in front of him and grabbed him by the arms.   
  
"You're not going to go anywhere," he stated.  
  
"Let me go," the boy pleaded. "I don't want to..." his voice drifted off, he was too late; the man was already turning pale and in a couple of seconds had collapsed to the ground, dead. Duo stood there, paralyzed and unable to move. When he finally tried to run again he was stopped by somebody holding the end of his shirt.  
  
"Hold it," was a gruff male voice. There was the sound of a people dismounting and a man stepped in front of him. "You're under arrest," said the man behind him, still holding him back.  
  
The caught boy stood still as small sacks were pulled over each of his hands and then were bound. He was more scared than he had been when in the alley. What would they do to him? Would he be hung as a witch and a murdered? Would he be condemned to life in prison? "God, I didn't mean to do it..."  
  
The soldier in front of the teen glared at him. "What the hell are you muttering about? Saying prayers? I doubt that God would ever help a person like you!" The soldier ridiculed and then spat in his face. "I'm sure that the Queen will be interested in hearing about your story."  
  
Duo's jaw slackened. The Queen was going to hear about him? /I didn't mean to do it. I can't be brought to the Queen./ He thought frantically. "Let me go!" Duo exclaimed.  
  
"I don't think so brat."  
  
"I'll kill you too," he threatened.  
  
There were a couple low snickers behind the chestnut-haired teen. "You don't have your hands!"  
  
"Maybe we should cut 'em off!"  
  
A cold shiver ran up the captured boy's spine and he fought against the man holding him. His forearms were still bare, maybe he could get one of them to grab his wrists. But Duo wasn't too sure that bare skin would do it, maybe it really was only his hands. It was worth a shot though. He struggled some more and the guard in front of him finally grabbed his bare arm. The teen concentrated on sucking the life out of the man. The bigger man turned pale and slipped to the ground.   
  
"Shit!" Another guard shouted.  
  
Still the rough grip remained on his shoulders, the hands feeling like they were gripping him with a vise like strength. "Let...me...go," He growled.  
  
"Be careful David!"  
  
"I know! Knock him out John."  
  
Duo fought with all his strength until he felt the hilt of a sword contact with his head. There was extreme pain and then his eyes closed and he slumped, unconscious.   
  
***  
  
When Duo woke up the first thing that got his attention was his aching head. His hand went up and felt it, there was a lump on the top of his skull that hurt to the touch. He saw, with his arm raised, that he was now wearing a long sleeve shirt. "Fuck," he stated and looked around, the comment was more for the situation he was in and not his head or the long sleeves. Beside the fact that there were no candles lit what so ever, the teen could still see everything. He was in a dungeon cell, metal bars surrounding him. Bellow him there was some moldy hay that didn't help the over all smell of the place. It smelled horribly of stale blood and death. The sent was so strong that the captive gagged, nearly losing his lunch.  
  
Hearing footsteps outside the four-inch thick oak door was not a surprising thing to Duo. Whenever he killed people his senses were always intensified, the reason just as unknown to him as why he could kill people with skin contact, but this was something he was able to adjust to better than the killing. The door swung open, light flowing into the room, and two guards walked into the dungeon.  
  
"Time to see the Queen," one of them stated in a gruff voice.  
  
Duo shakily go to his feet as the men approached. His hands gripping the bars tightly. /Oh fuck. What are they going to do to me?/ He wondered as the two gigantic men stopped in front of him.   
  
"Put your hands out together." One of them ordered. Duo did as he was told, placing his hands in-between the bars so that they could be covered and then bound. "Okay, now step back." Again, he followed orders and stepped away from the door as it was open. "Now get out."   
  
The teen-aged boy was escorted from the dungeon, up the stairs and through many twisting hallways. All though Duo was more than scared he couldn't help but gawk at all of the expensive items that were decorating the castle. It was almost too soon before they stopped in front of a huge oak door and entered a fabulously huge room. As soon as Duo entered the room something didn't feel right. There was a panoramic window with a desk in front of it, and behind that desk was a chair in which the Queen herself sat.  
  
"Queen Relena," the guards said in unison and bowed down, their hands on Duo's back, forcing him down as well.  
  
"Rise," she stated, tucking a lock of golden hair that had fell from its place back behind her ear.   
  
The guards did so.   
  
"Who is this?" The girl asked. Her face was masking something, but her blue eyes glared pure and uttered hatred for the thing standing in front of her.  
  
As the conversation preceded Duo looked around, inspecting the room the size of the biggest house he had seen. Paintings of all different things lined the walls. Ones of nature and of people, small tags beneath each one with the title written in it, too small for him to see. His eyes wandered to the large oak bookcases that were as high as the ceiling, all different colors and sizes of books lining the shelves. Some leather bound and others were scrolls that were merely rolled up and kept together with a single string. All were different colors.  
  
Duo's eyes floated throughout the room, the conversation taking place nothing more than a mere rumble, his mind to infatuated with his surroundings to care anymore about his fate which was in the hands of one person alone. And of that far away thought he turned his attention to the blond woman, who could be no older than he, only sixteen, who sat before him.  
  
She was listening to the guards who were telling her their story, describing their captive. But her attention was not on either of them, it was focused on Duo alone. Blue eyes seemed to pierce the very depths of his body, sending lightning chills up his spine and leaving him weak. And with this he understood. This lady before him, Queen Relena, already knew who he was. More importantly, she knew what he was.  
  
Fear gripped Duo, refusing to let him look away from her. It froze him in place until he was suddenly jarred by one of the guards pulling him away. One of the soldiers had disappeared and the other had a rope in his fist as he dragged Duo down to the stables like a dog.  
  
The man had two horses saddled and ready for riding and then hefted up the still weak boy over the back of one of the animal and then he himself mounted the other. He kicked his mount into a trot, guiding Duo's horse behind his, and they exited the kingdom.  
  
It was about a half an hour ride and Duo was more than grateful to be let down from the horse in which he had no control over. The guard did it in no respectful way however. He violently picked up the teen, threw him down on the ground and kicked him in the stomach.  
  
"You son of a bitch! You killed my friend back there and now you're gonna pay for it!" Again the man kicked him, but all the boy could do was grunt in pain. "Bastard!" Another kick. "You're gonna die slow for what you did." A kick to the face made black dots flicker along Duo's vision and he nearly lost consciousness. He didn't remember being flipped onto his stomach or his pants being pulled down, but suddenly he felt pain ripping through his entire body. "This fell fucking good?!" The soldier behind him moaned in pleasure.   
  
The braided boy felt warm, sticky blood running down the insides of his thighs as the man pulled his member harshly from Duo's opening and then thrust back in. Duo whimpered in pain and the man just laughed at him.  
  
Dragging out of him again the man groaned. "Awe...you're so tight," he hissed between his teeth as he rammed back into the captive. "So hot..." he moaned again in pleasure. "And I bet that you've never," he drew out, "been taken before," he finished, plunging back in. Suddenly he cried out in ecstasy as his seed poured inside of the teen underneath him.  
  
Two tears rolled down Duo's cheeks as the guard stood up and then yanked the teen's pants back on him. And suddenly Duo's fear and pain turned to anger, why hadn't this man died?! It was the first time that he had felt such a strong emotion and yet, the person touching him hadn't been killed. The teen rolled over despite the ripping pain and kicked the man standing over him in the stomach.   
  
Grunting in surprise much more than any pain, the guard took a couple steps back. "You fucking bastard!! After what I did for you and you kick me?!" the man roared. Unsheathing his sword he plunged it into the teen's stomach. "That's what you deserve!" He spat, taking out his sword and walking away.  
  
God. The pain was almost as bad as the rest of his body. Duo could barely feel the blood pooling around him. He tried to whisper a curse at the man but violently coughed up blood instead. The blood blocked the air from getting to his lungs and he breathed the liquid instead of the gas as he took a choking breath. Darkness rimmed the braided boy's vision and soon the blackness claimed him. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Chapter 2 -   
  
Queen Relena Peacecraft dismounted her horse and walked over to the bloody body that laid lifelessly on the forest floor. A small grin that played on her lips could be seen in the moonlight as she kneeled down and held her hand above the boy's mouth, no air moved. She then pressed her fingers against his neck and her hopes were confirmed as she found no pulse.   
Standing back up, she looked down on him, her grin changing to a wide smile. Finally the pail, violet-eyed devil was dead. She no longer had to worry about her own death until the next baby boy was born who had violet eyes. But next time...next time they would be ready and the boy would not grow up to be so old.   
  
"What do you plan to do with him Miss Relena?" Came soft voice from behind the young Queen. The other girl, Dorothy, was Relena's own bodyguard and a vampire huntress. She took both jobs very seriously.  
  
The blond lady did not turn around to answer the question. "I am going to leave him here to rot away into nothing but a worm's home."  
  
There was a shift of clothes as the other girl moved in her saddle. "You are not worried that it is some kind of trick that the demon is playing?"  
  
"Wouldn't you be able to sense if he was alive?" Queen Relena wondered.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And you do not feel any life force what so ever. Correct?"  
  
"Yes Miss Relena."  
  
"Good." The Queen stated and then kicked the limp body in the stomach as hard as she could. The demon was finally gone and she would continue to live forever, as she understood it. As long as the violet-eyed demon was killed each time it was re-incarnated then she would never die and her long lost brother would never come back and claim the kingdom.  
  
Chuckling softly she kicked the body one last time and then turned back to her horse. Once she mounted she walked her horse over to the corpse and looked down at it one last time. "I am sorry that you did not have the pleasure of killing him yourself Dorothy," she apologized to huntress.  
  
"It's quite alright Miss Relena. I'll be able to get him next time. Besides, there are more fish in the sea."  
  
"Very true. Who do you plan on going after next?"  
  
Dorothy thought for a minute or two and then answered. "I believe that there is somebody in the Prydain Kingdom whom I want to pay a visit."  
  
***  
  
The smell of pine needles, fresh forest, and...and the unbearable sent of blood, of stale, dried blood. Duo cracked his eyes open and was met with the same view of what he had last seen when his heart had ceased to beat and his breath had stopped. Getting up carefully he looked at himself in disbelief. He had not dreamt that he had been stabbed, he couldn't have. The boy tore away his blood soaked shirt from his stomach and was greeted with the site of a two inch long sword whole in his stomach. "Holly shit," he muttered as he fell back to the ground. The pain was unbearable. His stomach and then the rest of his body. Dying had not erased so much as a minutes worth of his memories.   
  
Taking a couple deep, controlled breaths, the teen sat back up. His hands were still bound and he tried pulling at the ropes but it only made them tighter around his wrists. He took off his left boot and hung it upside down, a knife plopped on the ground. The teen picked it up and started to cut through the ropes. It didn't take all that long of time. When they fell away, the braided boy rubbed the circulation back into his wrists and then replaced the knife and the boot.  
  
Duo was shaking uncontrollably. He didn't know what was going on, and really, he didn't care. Slowly this time, the teen got up from the ground and on his own two feet. Looking around did him no good. He was somewhere in the middle of a forest and had no clue where he was; but he did know that he had better leave soon. It would be best to get as far away as possible before anybody came back and found out that he was gone.  
  
Still physically and mentally hurt, the violet-eyed boy started to walk through the forest. He felt dirty, in a way that he would in no way, be able to be clean again. What that man had done to him was more painful than being run through. The memories made Duo sick and he fell to his knees, vomiting up blood and his past meal. When he had been able to stop gagging, the teen leaned back on his heals, wrapping his arms around himself tightly. He couldn't stop shaking, and aside from that he wasn't feeling good, he felt weaker than he had ever been in his life.  
  
Staggering to his feet, Duo continued to walk, dragging his feet along the ground. Every step seemed so hard to take. His legs were made of iron and too heavy to move, and his head was too light that he was starting to feel dizzy and sick again. Suddenly all of his senses seemed to enhance by a hundred percent. He could see the smallest bug in the ground, smell the smoke from villages miles away, taste everything in the air, feel the air pressing again his skin, and hear...a horse? That was the last thought that Duo had before he collapsed, unconscious before he hit the ground.  
  
***  
  
The boy on horseback stopped as he heard something hit the ground to the left of him. He had heard something moving around before, but he was surprised that it had gotten so close to him without him having heard it. Interested in what kind of animal it was, the teen turned his horse and trotted in the direction of the noise.  
  
Surprise brought the teen up short when he saw a body lying on the ground. It's chestnut colored braid and clothes were caked in blood and it laid unmoving, but he knew that the person was alive. Getting off from his horse, the sixteen year old moved over to the unconscious individual and rolled them over. He grunted as the person was revealed to be a boy, probably his age, if there was any age difference then it was slight. The unconscious stranger was nearly white and cold to the touch, but when the pulse was checked it was there.   
The unresponsive teen's head was lolled to the side, revealing a slender neck and the boy hovering over him was still for a few moments. His ears perked up when he heard more horses heading towards him. /Probably Quatre and Trowa./ The youth thought as he stood up, cradling the limp body in his arms.  
  
"I'm here!" The boy called out, the loudness of his voice more for so Quatre could hear him. But when he thought about it, he hadn't even needed to say anything.  
  
"Heero!" Came a soft, exasperated voice as two horses appeared.  
  
The teen addressed as Heero turned to face the two.   
  
Trowa looked over the pail stranger and spoke, "Who's that?"  
  
"Hn." Heero grunted as he gracefully mounted his white horse, even with the body in his hands. He would have to ask the boy that when he woke up. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Chapter 3 -   
  
Heero entered his castle, the boy still in his arms, oblivious to what was happening around him. The young prince turned to his two guests and excused himself from their presence, telling them that he would join them as soon as he took care of his find.  
  
The prince carried the teen to his own room and then took him into his own bathroom. There, he laid the boy gently on the ground and started to strip the blood covered clothes from the teen after filling the bath with steaming hot water.   
  
Being somewhat gentle but gruff, Heero started to pull the clothing away from the teen's chest. When he turned back to the body after discarding the shirt to the side he stopped, dead still. Even though the boy's chest and stomach were coated in blood he could still see the bruises that covered the upper half of his body, but what had made him stop was the raw opening of a sword wound. He rolled the boy on his side and saw that there was another opening on his back, just half and inch or so from the spine.  
  
Again the prince checked the unconscious teen's pulse and again he felt it lightly pounding against his fingers. But it was fainter this time, slower. Hastily, Heero stood from the ground and walked into his room and stood in front of the fire place. "Sally," he stated. Instantly a lady with two braids hanging over each over her shoulders appeared in the flame. She looked up and jumped slightly.  
  
"Heero, I didn't hear my name. What do you need?" She asked.  
  
"Come to my room in about half an hour, I need you to look somebody over." He paused and thought for a second. "No, you better come now. And...bring your herbs with you."  
  
"Yes Sir."  
  
Heero nodded and the picture faded from the flames. "Wufei," he ordered and a picture of a young Chinese boy appeared.   
  
"Yes Heero," the teen stated without turning around. "What do you want?"  
  
"I need you in my chambers as soon as possible."  
  
The teen turned around. "What? Is something the matter? Did one of the room's spells go wrong?"  
  
"No, I want you to come and inspect something for me."   
  
Wufei nodded and turned his back to Heero again. Heero nodded once and the image disappeared. Turning back around he went back to the bathroom and gathered the bloody boy his arms and then carried him over to his bed laying him down gently. He then filled the bowl beside his bed with water and grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom and came back, sitting himself beside the teen.  
  
Dipping the cloth into the water he started to wipe away the blood from the strangers chest and abdomen. He was just finishing cleaning the parts around the wound when there was a knock on the door. Placing the cloth back into the bowl he emptied the red water and stood up.   
  
"Come in," he stated. The door opened and two people entered the room, Wufei and Sally.  
  
"Why did you bring the woman here? Woman are weak," the exotic looking teen muttered under his breath as he walked further into the room. When he finally looked up and spotted the young boy laying on the bed his eyes grew wide and he looked at Heero in surprise.  
  
"Who's that?" Sally asked, walking over to the bed.  
  
Heero shrugged slightly. "I found him when Quatre, Trowa and I were out," he informed the two. "He has a sword wound in the stomach, but he's still alive."  
  
Sally nodded and started to inspect the limp body. She pealed back each of his eyelids, checking for any kind of concussion or head injury and found none. She then opened the boy's mouth and her head bobbed up in disgust.  
  
"What is it?" Heero wondered at the lady's reaction.  
  
"His mouth smells like blood, I can even see it!" She said, moving down to the hole in his stomach. "I really can't imag..." her voice trailed off as she became quickly pail. Wufei suddenly came up and grabbed her away from the body.  
  
"Stupid woman!" He hissed as she fainted in his arms.  
  
Heero's eyed the limp woman. "What's wrong with her?" He asked the sorcerer.   
  
"Hold on, hold on," Wufei grumbled as he pulled the lady into a chair and then placed his hands on her shoulders. His eyes closed momentarily and then snapped open. "She's almost completely drained of life!" He exclaimed.  
  
The sorcerer moved away from the woman and then walked over to the place where she had been standing beside the bed. Suddenly he took five rapid steps away from it. "Kisma!" He hissed.  
  
"Wufei?" The prince asked in a cold voice.  
  
"He's sucking up energy," he stated in mild disbelief. "I've never seen anything like it. He almost killed Sally. Hmmm...I will have to study this. Nataku," he stated, addressing his green pet dragon, "I don't want you by him. Go to the other side of the room." The dragon obeyed and Wufei continued. "I wonder..." the sorcerer's comments drifted off as he stepped over to the bed again and placed his hands on the boy's chest. Again his eyes closed.  
  
Unexpectedly, the boy under Wufei's hands moved and the youth back away. The stranger didn't do anything more, but when the sorcerer looked at him again he saw that the hole in the boy's stomach had closed up.   
  
"That is all I can do. I will put Sally back in her quarters. He should probably wake up in a few hours." He hesitated. "You have been handling him this whole time?"   
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay then. If you feel weak in any way then let go of him instantly and call me. I do not want him killing you. But, I don't think that I'll get such luck as you not helping him in any way?"  
  
"No."  
  
Wufei sighed. "I didn't think so. Be careful with this one Heero. He is nothing to be taken lightly." 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Chapter 4 -   
  
Heero turned back to the boy on his bed and quickly stripped him down the rest of the way. Then, gathering him in his arms, he carried him back to the bathing room and slid him into the steaming bathtub. The water almost instantly started to turn pink as the prince grabbed a cloth and started to scrub the teen clean. It was only a few minutes before Heero had to replace the water.   
  
As Heero washed the boy, his stiff, stern body and thoughts were starting to turn into something else, something more relaxed and pleasurable. Arousal. The boy was stunning. He had thought the boy attractive when he had first found him, even despite the blood. But now, with his body clean, he was striking. The unconscious teen had not looked like much but now the young prince was able to see the muscles that played over the slender boy's arms, legs, stomach, and back.  
  
Trying to get his mind off of the naked boy beneath his hands, Heero quickly moved up and started to wash the three foot long chestnut colored hair. He undid the band that barely held the end of the braided hair together and poured shampoo into his hands. Lathering up the thick mass hair, Heero was able to relax from his normal tense self. It felt so right, to be there, his fingers buried in the locks of chestnut-haired, rubbing this other boy's scalp, being gentle yet rough. Too soon though he was drawn away, having to rinse the red suds from the hair. He washed it again, quickly this time and then conditioned, also fast.   
  
Draining the water, the young prince grabbed a towel and wrapped the still oblivious teen in it. He carried him back to the bed where he dried the boy off and then snatched a brush, setting to untangling the hair and tying it back once again, using a black ribbon which held half of one of the window's drapes back to pull it off.  
  
Standing up, Heero looked down at the sleeping teen. His mind wandered to what it would be like to run his fingers through that long luscious hair and to have his lips graze that soft mane in the midst of making love. Trailing his fingers over that pail skin and lighting it afire with his mouth. His gaze falling on the boy's lips he wondered what it would be like to kiss them, having those soft, thin lips pressed against his own. 'Stop it,' his mind stated gruffly.  
  
The teen groaned in his sleep and the sound caused the young prince to remember his guests. He glanced at the stranger one last time and then left the room. Wufei had said that he would wake up in a couple of hours, and Heero was sure that he would be back by the time that the pail stranger woke up. And then he would be able to have his questions answered.  
  
***  
  
Duo woke up somewhere that was definitely not the forest floor. Slowly he cracked his eyes open and looked around. Blinking a couple of times he checked the room again and slowly sat up. This was undoubtedly not the forest. The room was gigantic, unlike anything that he had ever seen. /Except for the Queen's castle./ He thought. Everything was made of oak, the large desk to the side of the room, the nightstand, the bed he was in, the chest at the foot of the bed, and every other piece of furniture. And then, there was the fireplace. Also enormous, made out of stone and trimmed with polished oak.  
  
In a daze the teen got up from the bed, feeling somewhat chilly. He looked down and saw that he was nude. Checking the room over again he saw a pair of pants and a shirt folded on a chair, and boots beside it. Hurriedly he dressed, not wanting to be caught without any clothes on in a place which he didn't know, especially one like where he was now.  
  
He inspected the room again, but he was quickly getting bored. Spotting the windows on either side of the bed, the violet-eyed boy walked over and peered outside. The view took his breath away. It looked to be late afternoon and the town bellow was still busy. The mapping of it was different, he couldn't spot any place that he knew or had been before. He was definitely not in the Sanq Kingdom any more. He didn't know where he was though, hopefully he'd be able to find out soon enough. As long as he was out of the Sanq Kingdom though, he felt safer.   
  
The braided teen was taken away from the seen when his chest and stomach started to burn in hunger. /What the heck?/ He wondered, not recognizing the sensation, even though he had lived his whole life on the streets of Sanq Kingdom, always hungry. And then, realization dawned on him. /No, not now. I can't. Not here. It's just. I'd rather. No...I don't want to./ He begged himself. But he knew that it was no use, his senses were already magnifying.  
  
There was a creak as the door opened and Duo whirled around to face the imposter. It was a maid. She looked at him and started to scream. The cry was cut short as the teen leapt at her, grabbing her by the throat and smashing her against the wall with a loud thump. Try as she might to get away, her struggles were in vain as she grew pail and weak. Soon she was hanging limp in his hand.   
  
Duo let go of the woman's throat and dashed from the room, just to run into a guard. "What the heck? I heard a scream!" He exclaimed, trying to look past the boy.  
  
"Get...away...from...me!" The braided boy choked out.  
  
"Tell me what happened! Who are you?"  
  
The teen looked up and their eyes locked. "Demon!" The man gasped his face written in terror as the small, but strong boy grabbed his throat so tight that the man could not shout for help. The guard continued to try to fight, grabbing Duo's wrist and trying to pull it away from his throat, but it didn't budge. He grew pail and soon his resistance weaker.  
  
Suddenly the teen sensed a person coming. He looked up to his left and saw two men and a woman running towards him, all of them had their swords drawn. Surprised by this, having only sensed the woman's aura strongly, he blinked and suddenly let go of the man. "I...didn't mean...I didn't mean to do it..." he whispered to himself.  
  
"What the hell?!" Shouted a man with long, pail blond hair.  
  
Duo pivoted around, desperate to get away and saw four more people running towards him. He turned to go back into the room but the door slammed in his face. He panicked and suddenly all of the people around him skidded to a stop.   
  
"Where did he go?" The red headed man dressed in a soldiers uniformed growled.   
  
"He's in the same spot," a blond teen stated softly, on the other side of Duo.  
  
The frightened teen turned around in time to see the woman leaping at him. With a startled cry he fell to the ground. The lady held his hands tightly behind his back and dragged him to his feet. Duo was trembling in fright. "Let go of me," he begged the woman holding him.  
  
"Not a chance buddy!"  
  
"You don't understand! Let go!" He shouted, tearing his arms from her grasp and pivoting to face her. "Don't touch me!" He screamed and shoved her violently away when she tried to grab him again. She flew back ten feet or so and hit the ground with a loud grunt.  
  
Sensing somebody behind him, Duo turned around and was about to hit them but they seized his wrist before he struck them. He looked up and cold cobalt blue eyes glared back at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to do it! You can't touch me! Just let go. Please!" He prayed, sliding to his knees on the floor. "I didn't mean to. I didn't do it on purpose. Just let go. Don't touch me. Please don't touch me. I don't want to...I don't want to do it again."   
  
The teen in front of Duo stepped away from him in shock, letting go of his hand in the process. "I don't want to do it again. Don't make me do it again. Just don't touch me..." The hysterical boy brought his bare arms to his chest and wrapped them around his knees. "Don't touch me." He pleaded, rocking back and forth. "I don't want to kill you. I don't want to do it again. Just don't touch me. Don't make me kill you." 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Gundam Wing, it's characters, or plot, or any other part of it. It is owned by Bandi and Sunrise. This story line/idea/plot (except for the characters) is copyright 2002 by Laura King.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Heero started down at the braided teen in a confused fascination. What had just happened? A soft cough from behind him gained his attention and Heero turned his head and was reminded about his three friends.  
  
"Maybe you should get him back into bed?" Quatre suggested.  
  
The prince nodded and faced the other boy again, he was just about to pick him up when Trieze moved forward and grabbed his arm. "I don't think that's a wise decision Prince Heero," he stated, his eyes narrowed and never actually leaving the fallen boy.  
  
Heero shook the hand from his arm. "Don't worry about me, just get Noin to Sally as soon as possible and make sure that she's alright," the prince ordered, scooping the stranger into his arms. He could still hear the boy muttering to himself as he buried his face in Heero's chest. "I don't think that he's much of a threat at the moment. Now go make sure she's alright."  
  
"Yes Prince Heero," Trieze stated, turning around and walking back to where Zechs was helping Noin get off of the ground.  
  
"The room?" Quatre whispered from behind Heero.  
  
He nodded and turned to enter the room. Stopping as his eyes spotted the guard whom laid motionless on the ground. There was no apparent injury except for bruises encircling his strong neck. Heero grunted and stepped over the man into the bedroom. His eyes scanned the room, but this time he didn't stop walking when he saw the maid who lay crumpled against the wall, also dead, the same bruises around her neck. He approached the bed and slid the pale boy under the covers once again. Once he was sure that the stranger was settled he faced his friends again. "I think that there's a slight problem," he stated.  
  
"That's a little obvious," Wufei said, rolling his eyes.  
  
Quatre shifted his weight restlessly, his eyes constantly fluttering over to the body of the maid and guard and then back to the teen in bed. "Shouldn't we get somebody to clean all of this up?" Trowa asked, his arm holding Quatre supportively around the waist.  
  
Heero shrugged. "Yes. Don't worry about it. I'm sure Trieze is going to be sending another guard or two up here right away."  
  
"What do you think happened?" The short blond wondered.  
  
"I think that that's everybody's' question right now. Wufei?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Do you think that you'd be able to do some research to find out if he's even human? There are no bite marks, but I doubt that a human could do that."  
  
The exotic looking teen nodded. "I already started right after the incident with Sally. I haven't gotten too far but I remember seeing something like this in a book a couple of years ago."  
  
"Good, you can continue with that."  
  
Wufei nodded and started to leave. "Make sure to tell me what you're going to be doing with him. And may I suggest that you don't leave him alone anywhere in case something like this happens again?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
The black-haired teen gave one last glance to the stranger in bed. "One more thing, I don't think that he'll be out of it for too long. If you want me I'll be in the library," he informed before walking out of the room.  
  
"So what are you going to do with him?"  
  
Heero grunted. He hadn't quite figured that out for himself quite yet, though he knew that he would need to think fast. It wouldn't do to leave the braided boy alone again, Wufei was right to make sure that everybody knew that, it would not be good for anybody if the teen started killing his guards and maids. 'Rumors get started easily enough, I don't need anything backing them up.' Heero thought. Things in the royal court were getting tight enough as it was, with the possibility of war getting closer every day.  
  
"Heero?"  
  
"Hn. I don't know."  
  
Quatre nodded in understanding. "Wufei's right though, we shouldn't be leaving him by himself any time soon." The room stood silent in agreement.  
  
There was a knock in the doorway and the three teen's looked up. Two guards stood at attention. "Prince Heero," one of the guards stated. "We were sent up by Kushrenada."  
  
"Hn. Take care of the bodies and then return to your other stations."  
  
"Yes Prince Heero," both of the guards said in unison, then silently picked up the bodies and left the room, closing the door behind them.  
  
"Should we leave a guard with him?" Quatre asked, once the soldiers were gone. He already knew what the answer was going to be but had to try anyway.  
  
"No."  
  
The teen on the bed groaned suddenly, his violet eyes blinking open. "What in utter fuck?" He muttered as he lifted one of his hands and pushed the heal of it to his temple.  
  
Heero stepped back form the bed and stared down at the waking boy. "You're awake," he stated.  
  
The braided boy groaned again and then suddenly stopped all movement, his eyes scanning each of the three boys in the room. Duo swallowed a comment as he found himself only sensing the blond, the dark-haired teen and red headed boy he wouldn't have known were there if he hadn't been staring at them. He recognized them as three of the four people who had been running down the hall towards him. "Where am I?" He asked, the question had been on his mind since the first time he woke up.   
  
"The Prydain Kingdom," the dark-haired boy stated, his eyes never leaving Duo.  
  
Duo's eyes widened slightly. The only thing that he could remember before waking up for the first time was stumbling around through a dense forest and passing out. He had know he must have been in another kingdom though. 'Don't get into trouble,' he thought to himself. An image of the maid's frantic face as he smashed her body against the wall, flashed through Duo's mind. He looked around again. The boys didn't look too threatening at the moment. 'Queen Relena looks like a flower too.' A chill ran up the violet-eyed boy's back and he started to feel nervous. Maybe he could just make a run for it. Another glance at the two boys that he couldn't sense shook the thought from his mind. They were much stronger than they looked, and if they worked together they could easily over power him. Another image, this time of the guard's smirking face right before he ran Duo through. The teen's anxiety started to heighten.  
  
"He's getting really scared," the blond whispered to the taller boy beside him. Duo could hear him as clear as if he had screamed it.  
  
"Can you do something?" The read head asked.   
  
Duo's entire body tensed for a physical assault. It didn't matter if he knew that he would be defeated, he was not going to let himself go down without a fight. Suddenly, he felt a presence trying to touch his mind. His eyes flew open and suddenly narrowed as he spun towards the blond. He mentally bristled at the attack and the blond gasped, drawing back from his mind as though he had touched fire and fell to his knees, his hands going up to his temples. The taller boy held his shoulders to study him and spoke to him softly.  
  
Before Duo could turn to face the boy closest to him, a hand grabbed him by the neck and smashed him against the wall. A lightning shock ran through Duo's entire body and suddenly he was scared again. His eyes went wide and he stared at the teen holding him in utter fright, all resistance had left his body and the tension drained from him and was replaced by fear. 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, it's characters, plot line or anything else about it. This fictional story line/plot/idea which is being use is copyright 2002 by Laura King.  
  
Chapter 6   
  
Duo heard the blond cry out but he couldn't take his eyes away from the deadly cobalt blue ones that were staring at him, trying to burn holes in his skull.   
  
"What are you doing to him?" The teen who was holding him demanded.   
  
The braided teen couldn't speak; he was consumed in fear, all resistance having left his body.   
  
"It's not him," the blond whimpered weakly. "It's you Heero."  
  
The boy who was holding Duo by the neck, Heero, threw a glance at the blond. "Nani?"  
  
"You're scaring him to death," the teen whispered. "Let him go."  
  
Heero turned back to face Duo and his hand tightened around the slender neck in his hands. Duo whimpered slightly as he felt the bones grind together. "And if he-"  
  
The blonde's shoulders shook as he cried, feeling the same fear that was running through Duo's body. "Please Heero. I can't take it."  
  
Heero shoved Duo against the wall fiercely and then let go of him. Without the support, Duo collapsed to the ground, his wide eyes unable to leave the dark-haired boy in front of him. The taller teen walked up to Heero and grabbed him by the shoulder.   
  
"Go to the library," he stated.   
  
Heero's jaw clenched. "No."  
  
"For Quatre's sake. He can't take it any more."  
  
"Take Quatre to his room."  
  
The red head shook Heero, spinning him around so that they faced each other. "You know that won't help now. Leave Heero."  
  
Cobalt eyes flickered back at Duo who still sat limply against the wall, afraid that moving would draw attention to himself. "Fine," Heero said and quickly walked out of the room, shutting the door loudly behind him.  
  
The tall boy looked down at Duo who had wrapped his arms around his knees and was still staring at the closed door. Then he turned back to the blond who was still on the ground crying. "Quatre?" He asked, gently setting his arms on Quatre's shoulders. Quatre's head shot up, his eyes wide. "Quatre, it's okay. Just try to get control over yourself. Okay?"  
  
Nodding, the blond took a deep breath. "Okay," he said shakily, his sea green eyes glancing over at Duo. "Trowa, he's still..."  
  
The teen addressed as Trowa shook his head. "Don't worry about that right now. Try to get yourself under control." There was a knock on the door and the redheaded teen went over to answer it. "Yes?"  
  
"I heard something from down the hall, are there any problems?" A guard asked, trying to see past Trowa's figure.   
  
"No. Nothing's the matter," the teen, Trowa, assured and closed the door in the other man's face before he could successfully see inside the room. When he turned around, the blond had managed to get up from the ground and was standing about seven feet away from the braided teen. "Quatre," he said warningly.  
  
The blond nodded in understanding but didn't move. "Are you okay?" He asked soothingly.  
  
Duo sat, pressed against the wall where he had been dropped. His mind was still frozen, but he was slowly calming himself down, telling himself that cobalt eyed boy known as Heero, was gone. 'For now,' he thought. Quatre, the small blond, stood in front of him, trying to get him to answer a question.  
  
"Are you okay?" The pale boy asked again, taking a small step forward.  
  
'He's a potential threat. He can touch your mind. What if he finds out what you are?' Duo's mind asked him, causing him to focus on the situation at hand. Temporarily putting the dark-haired teen out of his mind. He looked up and eyed Quatre and Trowa wearily. Quatre was a mental threat, with his ability to touch other minds. The tall one, Trowa, was a physical threat. Duo couldn't do anything to stop him from acting out his will. He had no advantage over vampires.  
  
Quatre sighed. "I promise that we're not going to hurt you."  
  
The statement made Duo blink. Not going to hurt him? Quickly he scrambled to his feet, using the wall as a semi support until he could steady his still unstable body, as well as mind. Heero had nearly choked him because he believed that Duo had been doing something to his friend. He hadn't known that it was the blond who had struck first. The braided teen kept on his guard. "What did you try to do to me?" He asked.  
  
The blond looked at him nervously. "I...I tried to calm you down," he informed. "I didn't know that you would be able to feel it. I just wanted you to feel better."  
  
"Why?" The violet-eyed boy could not help except to be suspicious, nobody in his entire life had tried to help him. Everybody tried to kill him. And now somebody was doing something because they wanted him to feel better? He didn't even know these people.  
  
Quatre seemed a bit taken aback by the question. "Because I didn't want to you disappear again. And I wanted you to be able to feel better and listen to us. I didn't want you to freak out again. I don't like it when people freak because I can't feel it too and-"  
  
"You did it for yourself," Duo said, relaxing a bit. The blond had done it selfishly to make himself feel better. But then why did he feel like he had just lost something?  
  
"No!" Quatre exclaimed quickly. "I don't like it when people don't feel uncomfortable because nobody deserves to feel that way."  
  
Duo shifted. He was on unfamiliar ground and he didn't know what to think of everything going on.   
  
"I shouldn't have tried to do that without your permission," the blond apologized. "And I don't blame you for striking back. You probably were thinking that I was trying to take over your mind or intrude on your thoughts."  
  
Again Duo shifted.  
  
Quatre gasped slightly and suddenly shook his head, instantly making Duo and Trowa tense. "I'm so rude!" He exclaimed. "My name's Quatre."  
  
Duo nodded, allowing himself to relax a little bit. "I picked that up," he stated, then addressed the redheaded boy. "You're...Trowa?" He asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Relaxing a little bit more, without any obvious danger in site, Duo started to act like himself. 'Besides, you don't want anybody seeing what really goes on in your mind. Do you?' The violet-eyed boy's mind asked. "And the person who choked me was Heero, right?"  
  
"Sorry about that," Quatre said. "We should probably have Sally look over your neck to make sure that you're really okay."  
  
Duo shrugged. "I don't think that I'll die quite yet." 'Besides, I didn't die the first time. Why should I again?' A lop sided smile appeared on Duo's face. "Since it seems that I am at your bid and don't have much of a choice in anything, what do you want to do with me?" The braided boy swallowed the lump in his throat. 'Just as long as I don't find myself in the kingdom's dungeon or face to face with the ruler. As long as I don't have to go through death again, I'll do anything.' 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, it's characters, plot line or anything else about it. This fictional story line/plot/idea which is being use is copyright 2002 by Laura King.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
"We should find Heero," Trowa stated somberly.   
  
Quatre nodded and then paused. "Uh...actually. I don't think we should be leaving the room."  
  
The red-head raised an eyebrow as well as Duo.  
  
"By now everybody's going to be talking about you. Or at least, their will be rumors. The last thing that we need right now is people seeing you walking around as though you are a guest. That might cause something pretty bad."  
  
Trowa nodded in understanding and Duo stood back, still confused.  
  
"The only way that anybody's going to accept your being here alive is by having you be a slave," Quatre stated.  
  
Duo swallowed the lump in his throat. His stomach was doing flips as he started to realize that he wasn't just in some manor house. "Who is Heero?"  
  
Quatre looked at him with slight shock. "You don't know?"  
  
The braided teen shook his head in the negative.  
  
"Prince Heero of the Prydain Kingdom."  
  
Duo stepped back as though struck. "Who are you?" He was barely able to whisper.  
  
"Prince Quatre of the Winner Kingdom," the blond stated. "Trowa is my bodyguard and advisor."  
  
Duo's eyes flickered between the two of them as he back up slowly. He had stumbled directly into the middle of a mine-field.  
  
"Duo, are you alright?" The blond asked. "I promise that we're not going to kill you or anything."  
  
The violet-eyed boy could only remember the Sanq Kingdom dungeon and guards. "Prince Heero?" He muttered nearly silently. Suddenly he was snapped out of his shock by somebody shaking him.   
  
"Nothing's going to happen to you. Okay?" Quatre said to him in a stern voice.  
  
Duo had stopped back up and stared in the short teen's sea green eyes. "There's no point," he said, his arms limp at his side. "I mean, I'm going to die either way. Right?"  
  
The blond looked at him confused and then suddenly his eyes went wide. "No! Don't do-"  
  
Duo shoved Quatre back as hard as he could and sprinted around Trowa who had stepped forward to catch the falling blond. He skidded out the door and sprinted down the hallway towards the another hallway, the sound of Trowa's footsteps could be heard behind him. 'I'm gonna die either way,' he thought and took the sharp corner to the right. Unable to sense the boy behind him, Duo forced himself to run faster.   
  
His eye caught sight of a door that, his sixth sense told him, lead outside. He threw it open and ran out, pausing for a fraction of a second as he saw a dozen or so training soldiers in front of him. The two men who had been in the hall were also there. Duo didn't let himself think but instead ran towards the nearest guard. He grabbed the man by the throat with one hand and then snatched his dagger from his belt with the other. Then he threw the soldier behind him and continued to run, sparing a glance behind him.   
  
Trowa was right on his heals and the rest of the guard seemed to be scrambling into positions. The teen looked around quickly with his eyes while he ran. Suddenly he cut towards the castle walls, he was nearly there when he leapt up and grabbed a tree branch about five feet above his head. He swung himself up and then ran along it with a precision only few had, then jumped across open air to the top of the wall. The teen barely stopped himself from going over when he saw two guards on the other side. They quickly spotted him and shouted for others.  
  
Turning, he started to run along the walls edge, not allowing himself to look back at Trowa. Suddenly his sixth sense bristled with the touch of sorcery. His eyes frantically scanned from some sign of who was producing it when a large crack in the wall appeared before him. Duo barely was able to leap over it and ended up falling off the wall. He twisted his body in the air and landed in a crouch. No guards were around him yet and he took off down the town streets. Looking behind him he saw that nobody was following. When the teen turned his head back around he skidded to a stop when Trowa dropped in front of him. He tried to back up but the ground came up and he fell to the ground, the palms of his hands scraping on the ground as he caught himself.   
  
Flipping himself over, Duo tried to get up to run again but Trowa had already grabbed his arm, dragging him to his feet and spun the braided boy around to face him. Duo went limp. It was no use, he could do nothing to the boy who held him. He couldn't take his life because vampires didn't have life to give. 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Chapter 8 -   
  
Wufei walked hurriedly through the castle hallways. Something about the situation had triggered an old memory in his mind and it was one that was not making him feel any the more comfortable about what was happening. He had read a book that had mentioned the same things about an old creature...or was it something else? The sorcerer could not remember for the life of him.   
  
Finally a hiss from Nataku drew the sorcerer from his thoughts as they entered the library. Wufei turned to the little green dragon and quickly described what they were looking for. Even though small, the dragon had more than a few helpful tricks on her.  
  
First the boy walked over to the smaller section of the gigantic library, this particular section having some books from his native land and books from other places in other languages. If he could just find that one book that he had seen before, but he wasn't even sure if he had seen it before he had come to this place. But he had nowhere to start, making the project much more difficult than it would have been if he could remember the slightest thing.  
  
- - - - -   
  
Trowa's grip on Duo's arm tightened painfully, but the braided teen swallowed it down. "Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything to you. I have no power over your kind Trowa."  
  
The red-head's eyes narrowed as he searched Duo's face.  
  
"I can't sense you," Duo explained halfheartedly. "If you weren't touching me and I was blind folded, you wouldn't be there."  
  
No response.  
  
Duo was starting to get agitated and his arm was aching. "Do vampires always have to be so rough?" He asked, shaking his quickly numbing arm. "Or does that feature just come with me?"  
  
Trowa lightened his grip slightly.  
  
"Are we going back to the palace dear body guard of Prince Quatre of the Winner Kingdom? Or are we going to stay here all day? Or have you gotten orders to drag me out into the middle of the forest and kill me?" Duo wondered sarcastically, a chill running up his back with the last question.   
  
Finally Trowa made up his mind and before Duo could pull away, reached forward and snapped a silver collar around the violet-eyed teen's slender neck. When he pulled his hands away a silver chain was in his hand, leading up to the collar.  
  
"What?" Duo exclaimed, looking at the chain that was held in Trowa's hand. "No!" He grabbed the chain and tried to pull it away from the boy in front of him. Fear clawed within him as he desperately pulled at the chain. "Oh my God no!" He cried out, aiming to kick the taller boy in the stomach. With his free hand, Trowa caught his foot and threw it back on the ground. "No!" Duo screamed as he yanked at the chain.   
  
Trowa pulled Duo's face inches away from his own. "Calm down," he stated smoothly. "You either die or wear this."  
  
Duo calmed down slightly, letting his hands slip from the chain that was attached to the silver collar around his neck. His body still shook.   
  
"I need your wrists as well," Trowa stated matter-of-factly.  
  
The captured teen held his arms out and allowed Trowa to snap a seemingly thin silver bracelet on each wrist.   
  
"You can't just let me go?" Duo asked.  
  
"And then pass law that you are to be killed on sight?" Trowa answered with another question.  
  
"I see your point. You didn't have to scare me so much though," he complained. "I would have had to choke you to death."  
  
A green eye looked at him in question. "Come," the taller teen stated and turned around, walking back towards the castle.   
  
In a minute or two they were on a street that was still crowded, despite the fact that evening was approaching. Kiosks were on either side with people shouting over the noise for people to buy things at their stores. The street was filled with people walking from errand to errand, each wrapped up in their own life, each making sure to step aside right in time as to not run into Trowa.   
  
A rotten tomato hit the side of Duo's face and he immediately reached out to grab the kid who had thrown it. Liquid fire shot through his veins from the bracelets on his wrists and he cried out slightly at the unexpected pain, taking his place back behind Trowa. Another tomato hit him and Duo stopped. Looking around the crowd and finally spotting the nine year old who had done it. He was standing beside his mother and was picking the rotten fruit up from the ground by the booth. The chain pulled at Duo's collar and he was once again forced to follow in line behind Trowa.   
  
"I know you can hear me and I hope you know that you are so going to get it when I get out of these things. Understand Trowa?" Duo hissed under his breath.  
  
Trowa remained silent and continued to walk. It wasn't very long before Duo could see the castle gates. Trowa lead him up to them and after a short exchange of words with the guards placed there, the gates opened and Trowa walked in, Duo trailing behind him.  
  
The red-head lead Duo into the castle once again and through a mass of twisting passageways. Nearly ten minutes later they arrived in front of two double doors. Trowa opened one and brought Duo into a comfortable living area in the library. In front of them there was a coffee table with five chairs around it, two of the chairs were occupied with Heero and Quatre.  
  
"Trowa! You got him!" Quatre exclaimed, as he stood up from his chair and started forward.  
  
Duo looked up, eyes narrowed warningly. "You don't have to be so happy about it...Prince Quatre," he stated, spitting out the last two words.  
  
The blond stopped, his eyes wide and jaw going slightly slack. "I...I...I didn't mean to..."  
  
"Yeah, whatever. What is you wish Master?" He asked sarcastically.   
  
Trowa suddenly clenched his fist and spun around, his hand smashing against the side of Duo's jaw. The blow was hard enough to nearly knock Duo off his feet and he was barely able to keep himself off the ground.  
  
"What the hell's your problem?" Duo exclaimed, making as to hit the teen back when the fire spread throughout his body once again and he staggered back, his mind engulfed in flames.   
  
"Trowa!" The blond cried out as he rushed to Duo's side and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"  
  
Duo stepped away from the shorter Prince, shaking the pale hand from his shoulder. After a minute or two he was able to clear his mind and regain some of his former composure. "Talk about taking precautions," he muttered.   
  
Quatre gasped slightly and touched the side of Duo's head. "What happened!"  
  
"Some spoiled kid got his hand a tomato. Just made my day."  
  
"I'm really sorry about all this," the blond sighed, his eyes showing his guilt and sorrow. "It's the only way though, it's all I could think of to have Trowa do to get you back alive."  
  
The braided teen let out a deep exasperated breath. "I'm sure! I can't go on my own! I'm just too frail and fragile."  
  
"No," Heero stated, talking for the first time. "I need answers from you."  
  
"Well, your wish is my command Master Heero!" Duo exclaimed exaggeratingly, dangling the bracelets on his wrists. "It doesn't seem that I have much of a choice. It's either do what you want or get burned from the inside out while being attacked by two vampires. I'm not even that stupid!"  
  
Heero's head snapped up and he stared at Duo, Quatre also took a step back in shock.   
  
"What did you say?" Heero demanded.  
  
Duo sighed. "I know what you are. Big deal. Let the world crumble because I can tell the difference between a void of space and pumping life. Okay?"  
  
"Trowa?"  
  
Trowa nodded.  
  
Cobalt eyes narrowed and he stood up. "How could you tell?" He asked.  
  
Duo shifted his weight a little bit and started combing the tomato from his hair. "It's a special talent," he said, not willing to say any more.  
  
There was a knock at the door and Heero focused on the door. "Yes?"  
  
The door opened and a messenger stepped in. "Prince Heero," he stated, glancing at Duo who's leash was still held by Trowa. "Dinner will be served in twenty minutes."  
  
Heero nodded. "Thank you. You may go."  
  
The man bowed, glanced at Duo once more, and then exited the room.  
  
Duo's shoulders sagged. He had only been awake for about two and a half too three hours since he woke up the first time in the palace, yet he still felt completely wiped out. His screaming nerves had taken more out of him then he was actually prepared to let on. "Who's am I?" He asked nobody in particular, already knowing and dreading the answer.  
  
"Technically?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Mine," Heero stated coldly.   
  
The braided boy nodded and let his eyes wander around what he could see of the library, trying to get his mind off of everything that was happening around him. He had only seen a couple of books in his life, each one at a time, never had he even imagined that so many existed, and especially in one place. 'Just let them forget about me,' he hoped hollowly.  
  
"Duo," Quatre stated.   
  
Duo turned his attention away from the mass of books and turned to the blond and saw that he had simply been telling Heero his name.  
  
Heero seemed not to care about the answer but turned and addressed him anyway. "I can't let you go," he stated bluntly. "Not now at least. Maybe if your death is faked, but otherwise you are not going to be free again."  
  
The teen had a sinking feeling in his stomach. They were never going to fake his death, they were going to find out what he was before that could happened and then they would never let him get out of their grasp. He was going to be in chains for the rest of his life.   
  
Trowa handed Heero the chain to Duo's collar and then crossed over to stand next to the blond Prince. "I'll see you at dinner," he said to the other two.  
  
"Okay," Quatre stated. "Sorry Duo," he sighed, glancing at the violet-eyed teen.  
  
Duo stared at the blond in a kind of uncaring neutrality, the way he looked at jobbers. Just another face, somebody who didn't mean anything to him. He snorted. 'And to think that I thought he'd be a friend,' he thought, nearly laughing at himself.  
  
"Duo..."  
  
The braided teen didn't say anything as he followed Heero out of the library area and into the hallway again. It was another ten minute walk until they stood in front of a familiar door. Heero opened it and walked the two of them inside, immediately letting go of Duo's leash as he walked in the door. Duo followed him and let the door shut behind him.   
  
"So this is your room," Duo stated, looking around again to see if anything had changed. Nothing had. Not knowing what was expected of him, Duo stood where he was, right in front of the door.   
  
Heero took off the jacket and shirt he had been wearing and replaced them with more formal wear. "I'm not going to make you suffer through dinner," he informed. "I don't expect you to not try to leave, let me just suggest that you don't try it." He turned around to face Duo. "Come here."  
  
Duo walked over, silent for once in his life.   
  
The cobalt-eyed boy unlatched the collar around Duo's neck and placed it on the table next to him. "Collars are for when you're either being trained as a new slave or are temperamental."  
  
"Does that mean I get two?" Duo wondered idly.   
  
Heero's eyes met his. "I am leaving for dinner. I'll bring something up for you when I come back," he stated and walked to the door. He glanced back only once before he left the room.  
  
Duo stood where he was for a couple of minutes and eyed the bed. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to sleep in it even though he already had before. 'Before I was a slave,' he thought, his hands tightening into fists. 'Before I was owned.' Jaw clenched in anger, Duo spun around and slammed his fist into the wall. The wood dented, and broke slightly from the blow. When Duo pulled his hand back his knuckles were bleeding. 'At least he's cute.' The thought came completely unbidden and surprised him slightly.   
  
Sighing, Duo's shoulders sagged even further and he melted to the ground, his back against the wall and his right side against the dresser which Heero had placed his collar. He pulled his knees up under his chin and rested his head on them. He trusted Heero as to not try to leave, he had no doubt that it was more sorcery linked to the bracelets, the room stunk of it. Instead of wasting his time and energy, Duo closed his eyes and let himself fall into darkness. 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Chapter 9 -  
  
Heero opened the door to his room and walked in, a medium sized plate with food in one hand. At first glance he couldn't see Duo, but he sensed him. His eye finally caught the other teen's foot from the corner made by his dresser and the wall. He walked over to the area, expecting to find the other boy fully awake, maybe even ready to attack him. When he looked down he saw that he was actually huddled in a small ball, his arms loosely curled around his legs and his head resting on his knees. Heero caught sight of Duo's right hand which was bruised and had a slight amount of dried blood around the knuckles, then he saw the near hole in the wall above Duo's head.  
  
The Prince placed the plate on the dresser and then bent down and gathered the sleeping boy into his arms. The boy groaned slightly and buried his head in Heero's chest. Making sure not to disturb the boy further, he carried him over to the bed. With one hand he pulled the covers away and with the other he gently set the teen down. In one swift movement he slid the white shirt off of the sleeping boy and threw it onto the chair near the bed, he did the same with his boots and then pulled the covers up over the youth. He looked down at the boy and noticed the dark bruise around his neck where Heero had held him. 'It'll heal in a couple of days,' he forced himself to think.  
  
Making sure that the teen was still asleep; Heero turned away from the bed and slipped out of his clothes, leaving him in a tight pair of black shorts that went about halfway down his thighs. Dinner had been boring like it always was, and luckily had gone without mention of his new slave. It seemed that word hadn't had enough time to flow from the castle's workers to other people's personal slaves, yet.  
  
By tomorrow the word would really be flowing for sure. Heero's guests would probably have been informed of it after dinner by their slaves. Most likely right before their departure. With a resound sigh, Heero sat on the edge of his bed and then slid under the covers next to the braided boy.  
  
Heero glance at the new slave momentarily. In sleep his features were relaxed, the anxious and shadowed looks of fear were gone. A lock of Duo's chestnut hair had unwound itself from his braid and Heero reached over to pull it away from his face. The boy sighed and turned towards the touch. Quickly the Prince pulled his hand away from the heart shaped face. He stole on last look at the mystical teen and then let sleep take him.  
  
- - - - -   
  
Heero woke up slowly, blinking a couple of times before he sighed softly and then realized that something warm was pressed against his chest. When he looked down he saw that the braided youth had buried himself in Heero's chest over night and was happily sleeping. The Prince's fine tuned hearing could even pick up the slightest sound of a snore. When the cobalt eyed boy breathed in he could smell the other boy's strong sent, and a little bit of something else. 'Tomato?' Heero remembered that Duo had complained about a kid hitting him in the head with a couple of rotten tomatoes, he snorted.   
  
'Don't get attached. Attachments are dangerous.'  
  
The Prince quickly slipped from the bed smoothly. A whispered groan came from the sleeping boy and Heero paused for a moment as he stared at the braided teen. 'I can't be attached. He killed two of my people,' he thought, jaw setting and his normal stoic look taking over again. He then turned away and dressed, quickly tugging a comb through his hair with a couple of quick jerks. He looked and the mirror and mentally shrugged, it would have to do.   
  
Finally he turned to the sleeping boy. "Duo," he called.  
  
The braided teen just moaned and shifted in bed slightly.  
  
Heero sighed in exasperation. The boy was truly beautiful. Quickly shoving the thoughts from his mind Heero tried again, louder this time. "Duo, get up."  
  
Another groaned and Duo flung an arm over his eyes, mumbling something in coherent, even to Heero's vampire ears.   
  
"I know you're awake, so you might as well get up now."  
  
More mumbling and shifting of blankets as Duo fidgeted around. "I don't want 'ta get up."  
  
The cobalt-eyed boy could not even believe how lazy the youth in front of him was. His jaw clenched in frustration. "Now Duo."  
  
Remembering the situation that he was in, Duo threw his arm from his face and sat up in bed. "Don't worry, I'm up," he informed, throwing his feet off the side of the bed and then standing up. "What now," Duo paused for a moment, "Master," he added hastily.   
  
"Your new clothes are on the dresser by your bed," Heero stated. "You won't be allowed to wear anything else."  
  
Duo nodded mutely and walked over to the table top, inspecting his new clothes and looked up at Heero who seemed to be waiting expectantly. "Oh...oops, you meant now," the braided teen chuckled nervously and quickly started to get dressed.  
  
The pants that he put on were made out of a black silk material with dark blue and silver trim that hung loosely but was still able to show his figure from under the folds. His shirt was made out of the same material but was sleeveless, again black with dark blue and silver trim. After he had pulled on the shirt unceremoniously, Duo had searched around for his shoes or slippers, but the only other things left were a mass of silver jewelry. He turned to Heero questioningly.   
  
"Slaves don't wear shoes," the Prince explained, walking over to him. He picked up the first piece of jewelry and placed it around Duo's upper arm, a simple arm band. Luckily, Heero placed it around the opposite arm that Trowa had held when he caught Duo outside the castle walls. The next were a dozen or so thin silver bracelets, six on each wrist including the two magical ones which the braided boy already wore. "These other ones are for your ankles. Slaves wear them so that people will be able to hear them whenever they approach," Heero stated once again. The last piece was a necklace that was wore more like a choker.  
  
Duo winced slightly when Heero touched the bruise on his neck when he put on the necklace, but otherwise didn't move. "No collar?" He asked when the Prince backed away from him.  
  
Heero nodded. "No. We're going to breakfast now though." He turned around and Duo followed him obediently out the door.   
  
  
They got to a medium sized dining room in just a couple of minutes and was greeted with the sight of two of his friends, Trowa and Quatre, Wufei was not in sight.  
  
"Hello Heero, Duo," Quatre welcomed in a pleasant voice, his blue eyes more focused on Duo more than the Prince. "Good sleep?" He asked.  
  
  
Heero nodded. "Yes," an image of the teen lying in his bed flashing through his mind. 'Don't get attached. He might as well be dead already,' Heero's mind stated, bringing him instantly back to the present. "Where's Wufei?" He wondered as he took his own seat at the large table, near the end where the other two boys were. He directed Duo to sit on a pad next to him and the braided teen did so.  
  
"I don't know," Quatre stated.  
  
The prince glanced at Trowa and the red-head shook his head no. "Probably still working in the library," he suggested.   
  
Quatre nodded in agreement. "That sounds like Wufei all right. He gets something in his mind and he doesn't stop working until it's done. I personally think that it's gonna kill him one day. I hate seeing him after things like this. He's always so tiered and I feel so bad because there's nothing that I can do to help him."  
  
Heero shrugged slightly. "That's the way Wufei is. Have you eaten yet?"  
  
"No, but I don't know if I'm all that hungry. I think I'm still full from last night," Quatre stated, a soft smile playing on his face.  
  
Suddenly Duo became aware of how hungry he was and was barely able to suppress is stomach from growling. Heero seemed to have heard it anyway and looked down at him. When his attention went back to the other two over the table Duo let himself relax slightly. 'Beautiful but deadly,' he thought humorously. He was a little bit surprised though when Heero hand came down, holding a slice of apple. 'He's got to be kidding me,' Duo thought and then looked up at Heero who was still talking with Quatre and Trowa. His hand pressed forward slightly and Duo's stomach nearly growled again. Giving in to his hunger, Duo ate the apple slice from Heero's fingers.   
  
He was just swallowing the first slice when another appeared. 'It's like I'm getting served,' Duo joked in his mind and he took the second piece and munched on it. The teen had just swallowed when a strawberry was held down in front of him. Duo eagerly took the piece of fruit which he had never had the chance to eat before. The taste was wonderfully sweet with the slightest tang to it. Wonderful.   
  
Taking his time to enjoy the new flavor, Duo didn't realize that another one was being held in front of him until Heero nudged his shoulder. Immediately Duo ate it, licking his lips with delight afterwards. When another strawberry was held down in front of him Duo grinned mischievously and eyed Heero who was still in his conversation. Duo leaned forward slightly and gracefully took the fruit, his lips just barely touching Heero's finger tips in the process. The cobalt boy suddenly looked down at Duo who look back up at him, chewing his strawberry innocently.   
  
"Heero?"  
  
"Yes?" The Prince asked, his attention back on his friends.  
  
"Is something wrong with Duo?"  
  
There was a short pause when Heero looked down at the braided teen who was licking the juice from his lips. "No," he stated, looking away quickly.  
  
Duo finished his strawberry and waited expectantly for another piece of anything. After a minute it came. It was a slice of apple again. The teen took it without hassle, not wanting to jeopardize not getting food. About ten minutes later Duo was starting to get bored again and his knowing grin spread on his face once again. When Heero's hand cam down with a grape, Duo placed his lips over finger tips in order to get to the fruit, and he started to bite down, his teeth grazed the Prince's fingers first and then he had the grape and suddenly pulled away, innocent as ever.  
  
Heero didn't look back, but his hand was quickly pulled away. "I think we need to go to the baths," the prince suggested to the other two across the table.  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"Duo still has tomato in his hair from yesterday and I was thinking that you two would enjoy it."  
  
  
The braided teen smirked while imagining Quatre's blush at that states. 'Not to mention that I got Heero...Prince Heero, back a little bit.' A short pause. 'Just a little bit.'  
  
- - - - -   
  
The soft sound of pages flipping drifted only a small way through the library, the mountains of books memorizing Wufei to no end as he searched through each one trying to find some in particular piece of information that would help him. When a hand rested on his shoulder he nearly jumped from his seat in surprise, having not heard or felt anyone approaching him. About to turn around there was a soft whisper in his ear.  
  
"You need rest."  
  
The sorcerer relaxed back into his chair. It was only Trieze, his lover. "I'm fine as I am, besides, its day."  
  
"Wufei. You need to get some sleep sometime if you are going to insist on doing all of this research. You barely slept last night. In fact, I don't think that you came up to bed at all," the voice stated accusingly.  
  
Wufei sighed. "I need to finish this. Besides, the sooner I get done the soon I have time to relax," he fought back and smiled contently as he heard a sigh behind him, warm breath tickling his neck.  
  
"You're too stubborn."  
  
"I thought you liked that about me."  
  
"I do, but it's bad for your health."  
  
"I've never gotten sick before from being up late and doing my work."  
  
"But you will some day and then I'll have to say I told you so."  
  
"And until that day comes then I'll continue to do as I please. Besides, don't you have work of your own to do?"  
  
"Yes, but I was hoping to see you into bed first. I guess that isn't happening though.  
  
"No."  
  
"Okay then." The comforting hand left the teen's shoulder and he turned his head around, looking into Trieze's hazel ones. "But I want you to get some sleep after you finish."  
  
Wufei nodded and the general sighed once again. "Don't worry about me."  
  
"That's hard to do," the dark-haired man sighed and then walked away. A couple of minutes later Wufei heard the soft click of one of the library doors closing.  
  
The boy returned to his books and then sat back with a heavy sigh. Trieze was right. He needed rest. But his first priority was to get this done. A soft hiss came from his left and on the table was Nataku, laying on the polished oak surface with her head tucked under her wing, eyes closed. Wufei smiled softly and decided that it was time for a short break. He looked around and grabbed a book off of one of the shelves nearby, it was one meant for child's reading, short and with some pictures in it. The cover of it had "Demon Myths and Legends" written on it. He cracked it open to somewhere in the middle and started to read it to himself. 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Chapter 10 -   
  
Heero stood up from his chair and directed Duo to get up. Smiling mischievously, the braided boy got to his feet and followed behind Heero and Quatre as they left the dinning area. Trowa walked silently beside him. After a few minutes, Quatre changed spots with Trowa and started to talk to Duo.  
  
"Hey Duo," the blond stated nervously.  
  
"Prince Quatre," Duo address with a nod, a small smile still playing on his lips. At the moment, nothing could bring him down.  
  
Quatre sighed. "Please Duo, just call me Quatre when nobody's around. I don't see you as a slave and I don't want you to talk to me like one. I'm really sorry about getting you into all this whole mess in the first place. It's really all my fault.  
  
"Don't worry about it Quatre." Duo's eyes misted over for a moment as he stared at Heero's back, his face totally somber. Suddenly he blinked and his smile appeared again. "It would have happened on way or another. Like fate, or whatever you call it."  
  
The blond was a little more than confused. "What do you mean by that?" He asked.  
  
Duo shrugged. "Nothin' much."  
  
"Uh...Duo?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why are you smiling like that?"  
  
Duo's violet eyed sparkled as his grin widened. "I may be a slave, but that doesn't mean that I can't still get payback."  
  
"For what?"  
  
The braided boy shrugged again. "Everything. Mostly the nearly killing me part I'm thinking.  
  
Quatre eyed Heero's back. "Duo...I wouldn't do that if I were you. I don't think you really know Heero."  
  
"Hey, don't worry about me. I've survived this long." Another strange look flashed across his features. There for a moment and then suddenly gone. Just a fleeting image. "Hey Q?"  
  
"yeah?"  
  
"Why don't you have a personal slave? I mean, shouldn't you have one? Or did you get Trowa instead?" Duo laughed.  
  
A bright pink blush formed over Quatre's cheeks. "Well...uh...I...I mean that...I don't like the idea of having slaves. Nor does Heero. That's why he hasn't had one before. There's not much of an option now though."  
  
"Why not? Can't you just let me go and I could just get out of here and make a run for it?"  
  
Quatre sighed. "Do you have a death wish or something? I'm in allegiance with Heero, so it'd be a 'see and kill' in both of our kingdoms. I guess that there's always the Sa-"  
  
"No. Never mind. I get the picture. I'll stay here," Duo interrupted hastily. 'Not that I could leave now, even if they did give me the chance.' The teen paused for a moment and spoke again. "Why isn't there an option?" He wondered.  
  
"To tell the blunt truth?" Quatre asked.  
  
Duo nodded.  
  
"You raised too many questions with coming here. You killed a maid and a guard. And you were able to escape without much more difficulty than the blink of an eye. Heero can't really afford to have somebody like you just running around now."  
  
"I still don't get it."  
  
"Well...we shouldn't really be talking about this, but there's a high risk of war breaking out between the Sanq and Prydain Kingdoms," Quatre explained.  
  
Duo's eyes widened. "What?" He nearly shouted before Quatre could stop him. Then, more quietly. "Are you serious? What over?"  
  
The blond shook his head. "I don't know if I should be telling you this stuff. Ask Heero. If you don't want to do that then just pay attention to conversations and you should be able to pick up enough to understand." Quatre looked up and grinned. "We're here! Oh, you'll love this place. I haven't been in the public city baths, but I'm sure it's better. It's all so big and personal too."  
  
"I've never been in a bathhouse," Duo informed. "I always just swam in the river when I could snatch the time enough that I wouldn't get caught.""  
  
"I've never been in a bathhouse," Duo informed. "I always just swam in the river when I could snatch the time enough that I wouldn't get caught."  
  
Quatre stared at him with wide eyes as the doors opened. "But...the public ones in the city are for everybody," he explained.  
  
Duo ignored the statement, his jaw nearly dropping when the doors opened all of the way. "Wow!" He exclaimed, walking in after the other in somewhat of a daze. The room was huge, or at least it was to Duo. The ground was tiled white, medium-dark gray, and a little bit of dark navy blue. In total there were three pools. A large one which could probably fit around forty or so people, and two smaller sized ones meant for about a dozen people. Each was filled with crystal clear water.  
  
"Duo," Heero called from where he and the other two were standing, off to the side.  
  
Tearing his eyes away from the room, Duo trotted over to the where Heero, Quatre, and Trowa were. Soon enough, the four of them were slipping into one of the smaller pools.  
  
Duo visibly bristled as he dunked his foot into the warm water, immediately he pulled it out and stepped away.   
  
"What is it?" Heero asked, eyeing Duo.  
  
The violet-eyed teen paused for a moment. "Magic," he said, still staring at the water.  
  
Quatre laughed softly. "It's not gonna kill you Duo."  
  
Duo's eyes narrowed as he looked up at the blond-haired boy.   
  
"It's just Wufei," Heero stated. "Just a spell to keep the water warm."  
  
Deciding that it was okay, Duo slid in, sighing pleasurably when the warm water engulfed him. "Excellent," he hummed happily. Remembering his hair, Duo slid the ribbon from the end of the braid and quickly unraveled it. A small gasp came from Quatre and Duo instantly looked up. "What?"  
  
"I didn't realize that I was so long!"  
  
Duo grinned. "Yeah. It's gains a couple of inches when I undo it," he explained and then dunked his head under the water, popping up a couple of second later. "Uh...I'm hoping that I was allowed to do that."  
  
Quatre nodded, grinning.  
  
"So...what do you usually do now?"  
  
"Usually we relax," Heero said, his cobalt eyes again inspecting Duo. "Or wash your hair."  
  
The violet-eyed teen grinned. "Okay, okay. I can take a hint. Where is it?" He asked as he started searching through his hair, soon touching something gooey and lumpy. "Nasty!" He exclaimed, quickly taking his hands from his hair and rubbing them furiously under the water's surface. "Sick! Oh, I swear, I'll kill that kid if I see him again!" The humor in his voice was evident and Quatre could not help but start to laugh uncontrollably. "Man! This isn't a laughing matter! I have to touch that stuff," he complained. "And I think it's growing," he muttered under his breath, bring forth a whole new set of giggles from the blond.  
  
Heero rolled his eyes. "I'll do it," he stated, grabbing a bottle close to him. When Duo didn't move he glared at the teen. "Come here. I'm not going to reach all the way over there."  
  
Duo shrugged. "Hey, at least I don't gotta do it!" He said happily while he took a seat on a bench about seven or eight inches lower, in between Heero's legs. He felt something cold and gel-like being poured onto his hair and then Heero's fingers started to massage his head. Duo almost immediately started to relax, he had never felt anything so good in his entire life. Nobody had ever handled his hair and just now Duo realized what he had been missing out on. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back and let himself enjoy the feeling that was surging through his body. Within a couple of minutes he was purring.  
  
A soft chuckled came Quatre. "Enjoying yourself Duo?" He asked.  
  
The chestnut-haired teen didn't even open his eyes, instead he started to purr louder, completely losing himself.   
  
"Well, I guess you know what to do to calm him down Heero," the blond stated light-heartedly.   
  
Heero just grunted in response and kept to his job of rubbing the soap into Duo's scalp. He was enjoying himself nearly as much as the long-haired teen, he just wasn't quite showing it in the same way.  
  
Duo was nearly asleep when he suddenly felt himself being shoved under the warm water. He cried out in surprise and was rewarded by swallowing a mouth full of water. A second later he bounced back up, eyes wide. Just before he could turn around to face Heero and shout at him he was pushed back into his seat and Heero started to work a small bit of fresh apple scented oil into Duo's long locks.  
  
Looking for a little bit of revenge, Duo relaxed back, the lower part of his shoulders gently gliding along the inside of Heero's thighs. He felt the teen tense under him a little bit and heard a low growl. Duo didn't stop though. Next he leaned back on his elbows, placing them on the step that Heero was sitting on, lightly pressing against Heero's upper thighs. He was just about to maneuver slightly when he was again dunked under the water.   
  
- - - - -   
  
Wufei was flipping through the children's book when his eye caught a familiar picture that was quickly buried under more pages. Quickly he started to make his way back to the picture. When he flipped to the page he suddenly snapped awake. The picture was practically of the teen that Heero had found. It was a young teen, near his age, with the same facial structure, and the same long hair, though in the picture it was undone instead of up, but still noticeable the same. What really got his though was the same, wide, violet eyes.  
  
The picture was definitely tugging at something in the back of Wufei's mind and he quickly read the page. Abruptly the teen was standing and nearly running out of the library. "Nataku! Come!" He shouted over his shoulder, almost as an after thought.   
  
- - - - -   
  
Duo and Quatre had been talking non-stop even since Heero had finished washing Duo's hair. The four of them had spent nearly half an hour in the baths and were finally getting out.  
  
"That was so great!" Duo exclaimed. When he looked over his smile dissipated. Quatre looked more pale than usual. Suddenly Duo was backing away as fast as he possibly could. "Oh my God!" He shouted. "No, no, no, no, no..."  
  
"Duo?" Heero asked, turning around from drying off just in time to see Duo run into a tiled wall and slide to the ground. Something was definitely not right. He immediately looked over to Quatre who was starting to fall to the ground. Trowa caught him before he hit the ground though. "What's the matter?"  
  
"He fainted," Trowa explained, looking at the blond with as much concern as one could detect from him.   
  
Duo sat with his back pressed up against the back wall, his legs pulled up to his chest and his head down. "Oh my God. Oh my God. No, no, no, no...Please. No. Oh my God. Oh my God..." He kept muttering repeatedly. He had completely forgotten that Quatre was human, and that the blond-haired teen had no protection against him. A hand landed on Duo's shoulder and he flinched, trying to sink into the wall.   
  
"Duo?" Heero asked. "Duo. What happened?"  
  
The long-haired boy shook his head in his arms. His breathing was erratic and he was still muttering. He wasn't listening to Heero above him. All he was focused on was the picture of Quatre, pale and wavering on his two feet, that was stamped behind his vision. "Oh my God. How could I forget? How could I do that? To him. Not to him. Oh my God..."  
  
Heero placed both hands on Duo's shoulders and shook him slightly. "Duo," he stated more sternly. "Get control of yourself. What happened?"  
  
Duo was able to take a few deep breaths and calm down a little bit. "I...I didn't mean to do it."  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"He's normal. So, I...it just happened...I don't have control of it when they're close for long," Duo mumbled.  
  
"Duo, he's okay. He just passed out. You need to calm down," Heero explained, making sure that Duo understood everything that he had said.  
  
Nodding, Duo took a couple more deep breaths and was able to look up at Heero. His violet eyes were wide with concern and his features were like that of a frightened child. "He's okay?"  
  
Heero nodded. "He's fine."  
  
"I'm going to take him to his room," Trowa stated as he wrapped the blond in a large towel and grabbed the other teen's clothes.  
  
"Okay," Heero stated, turning around and nodding. After Trowa left he turned his attention back to Duo. "Now let's get up and get dressed."  
  
"Okay," Duo stated hesitantly. Heero gripped his arm gently and helped the violet-eyed teen to his feet. Together they walked the short way across to where their clothes were and got dressed.   
  
Heero and Duo were just exiting the baths when Wufei came down the hallway quickly, heading straight for them. Duo who had seemed to recover from his panic attack noticed, amusingly, that the sorcerer was not walking on the ground but about an inch or two above it. When he reached them, he dropped down to his real height.   
  
"Heero, I need to talk to you." His voice was sober and his face perfectly serious.   
  
The prince nodded and turned to Duo. "Can you make your own way back to the room?" He asked.  
  
Duo nodded. "Yup, I gotta photographic memory ya know," he informed then mentally slapped himself. 'I'm in enough trouble as things are. I shouldn't be giving all the information about me away,' he thought. As he passed Wufei his eyes caught the book in the sorcerer's hand, "Demon Myths and Legends". He was about five minutes away when suddenly it hit him, like a brick right in the head and the teen got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The urge to run was nearly too great to resist and he found himself by the next window without even remembering having gotten there, liquid fire was already starting to run up his arms from the magical bracelets and Duo forced himself to push away and start walking back to the room as ordered. 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Okay, I hope you like chapter 11 folks. It seems that everybody likes what I'm spitting out. Tell me if you think I need to change stuff. It doesn't mean that I'll do it, but I like to get critique anyway. Lalalala...who thinks that I'm cool for getting another chapter up so soon? What is this? A chapter a day or something? OH YA!! I'm getting this chapter up before 11:59 Q. You know who you are that I'm talking to. I don't get busted! Yay!! Okay, for people who are lost about that last part there, don't worry, only one or two people should know who I'm talking about what I said that. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 11 -   
  
As Heero listened to Wufei speak to him he knew that he had to meet with Quatre and Trowa to speak to them about what he was being informed of.   
  
"Stop Wufei," the prince ordered.  
  
Stopping, Wufei looked up at Heero. "Yes? What's the matter?"  
  
"Let me call Quatre and Trowa to meet us in the dining hall and you can explain this to all of us. I have a feeling that this is going to take awhile."  
  
"Heero, do you think-"  
  
Quatre and Trowa are trust worthy. Besides, Quatre and his kingdom are beside me in whatever happens. If something comes of this I want him to be well informed of what is happening before hand."  
  
Wufei nodded. "I can understand."  
  
Turning to a candle near them, Heero called on Quatre, immediately the blond's picture was shown. "Quatre? Are you feeling better?" He asked into the flame.  
  
The blond turned towards him and smile softly. "Yes, I am actually. What do you need Heero?"  
  
"Meet Wufei and I in the dinning hall as soon as you can."  
  
"Okay. Trowa too?"  
  
Heero nodded in affirmative. "Yes, have Trowa come as well."  
  
"We'll be there as soon as we can."  
  
"Good," Heero said and then cut the magical connection from the flame, turning back to face Wufei. "Let's go."  
  
Heero sat in the dinning hall with Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei. He paused for a moment before beginning the conversation. "I have called this meeting to discuss something very important information that Wufei has found regarding...Duo," he stated. His features were set in stone and did not let anything that he was feeling show. "I called you here, Quatre and Trowa, because you are two of my most trusted friends and with Quatre being alliance with me, I believe that you deserve to know this."  
  
The small blond and his body guard both nodded. Quatre's face was serious as he started to realize that the meeting was not going to be about some light-hearted information. That something indeed significant had been found out about Duo.  
  
"Wufei," Heero invited.  
  
The black-haired teen nodded. "There is more to...Duo, than meets the eye," he started. "Has anyone here heard of the legend of Beelzebub?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow as he waited for a response. Quatre and Trowa nodded, Heero also gave a curt nod and indicated for the boy to go on. "Let me refresh your memories you may have on him." Here Wufei opened the book he had been looking at in the library and started to read.   
  
" 'Beelzebub, Satan, Belial, Diablous, Pluto, Hades, Lucifer, all the names which he is known by. Beelzebub is a demon that has been talked about for thousands of years.  
  
'It is said that that ever since Beelzebub was banished from the Heavens as a dark and demonic angel, he was sent to be the underworld where he became the King of Demons and everything evil. In his legend, it is told that Beelzebub could be controlled by no man, that he had, in his hand, the life of all men. Heaven warned him though, that if he ever intrude upon Earth, the middle lands, that he would meet people who could defeat him, despite his strong magic and power to kill. And that one man would send lightning through his body and claim him as his own. His master.  
  
'As being the King of Demons, Beelzebub ignored the warning from the angels of Heaven and decided that he would come to Earth and take over, to drive all things into the pit and darkness of chaos. On Earth, Beelzebub has to only touch a man to suck the life from his body to feed himself, for he has no soul or life of his own and thus must take other's in order to survive.   
  
'Beelzebub was doing a good job of setting his goal in motion, for the people on Earth were starting to panic as they saw their loved ones die right before their eyes at a single touch for this man. He went for place to place, killing and destroying all as he went. Though it was only a matter of time before he came upon a race whom he could not touch.  
  
'It is on Earth when Beelzebub met his first vampire. He grabbed the creature by the arm, fully intent on taking his life and found that there was nothing there for him to take. There was a man standing directly in front of him, but no soul or life in him. He was a hollow pit of darkness in the mass of life surrounding him.' "  
  
Here Wufei had to stop, took a sip of water and continued with the tale that he read from the book.  
  
" 'As Beelzebub started to draw away from the man in confused fascination, the man seized the demon by the shoulders and smashed him to the ground. For the first time in his known existence, Beelzebub knew fear as he looked into the eyes of the man whom he could not control and was nearly as strong as he. Using his power, Beelzebub shoved the vampire away and was able to escape.  
  
'Soon Beelzebub found how to tell vampire from human by the life force he could sense in the men and women around him. If they pulsed with life then they were human, and if they were just another shadow, blank, then they were vampires.  
  
'Eight months had passed since Beelzebub had started his reign of terror on the Earth and finally a man stood up to him. A vampire man. Beelzebub was taken by surprise when the man attacked him and when their skin touched a bolt of lightning screamed through the demon's body, making him know pain for the first time, and as he looked up into the vampire's eyes he knew that he had met his Master. The one man in the universe who he loved, and the one man in the universe who could control him.' "  
  
Another drink of water.   
  
" 'Despite the fact that Beelzebub was no controlled, nobody thought that any single person should be allowed the power over him. He had already nearly destroyed the world and people could only be satisfied with the demon's death. So, as called for, Beelzebub was sentenced to death. He walked to the executioner with his head held high, his Master's mark imprinted as two small circular scars on his neck. As he knelt down his eyes were only focused on his Master. His head was forced down onto the platform and cut off.  
  
'No matter what people thought though, Beelzebub could not be kept away by death. A year after his execution another boy was born with long chestnut hair and violet eyes, the marks of Beelzebub.' "  
  
Wufei held the picture in the book up for the others to see, the table was completely silent. Quatre seemed slightly more pale than normal, and was nibbling on his lower lip, as he did when he was deeply disturbed. Wufei did not blame them. The first time he had read over the chapter in the book he had been shocked and had to read it over a second time until the importance of what was happening hit him.  
  
"You think Duo is..." Quatre whispered, shock evident on his face. "But he's so sweet."  
  
"It explains everything perfectly," Wufei stated, making sure that everybody understood exactly what he was saying.  
  
Heero nodded. "The problem is bigger than we first imagined."  
  
"Much," Trowa agreed.  
  
Quatre looked up in fear suddenly. "You're not going to...kill him...are you?" He asked. His voice was soft as he said the last part of the sentence.  
  
"This is what I believe we need to talk about," Heero informed. "He has not caused a real threat to any of us if you do not include the accidents with Sally, Noin, and Quatre. Those were evident that he was not intending to do." He paused. "And I'm not sure if we can hold him accountable for what happened to the maid and guard either. But I am still not sure."  
  
"Duo wouldn't do anything to any of us."  
  
Heero shook his head. "We don't know that for sure."  
  
"The thing to do would be to try to find out about his Master, if you are willing to go that far in this," Wufei suggested.   
  
"And he can't do anything to vampires. There's you and Trowa, not to mention Trieze and Zechs and the other of the guard that you have hanging around," Quatre added hopefully.   
  
Cobalt eyes stared at the blond seriously. "Are we stating that we should leave things as they are?"  
  
"Heero. It he's your slave then he's either spending the time in your room guarded by magic or by your side. As I've already pointed out, you are a vampire and even though he knows some tricks, you will over all be able to get him. Like when Trowa got him back from the castle run away."  
  
"What about his magic?" The dark-haired prince asked.   
  
Wufei raised an eyebrow. "I haven't sensed much of anything in him. But that doesn't mean anything. I don't think that he knows how to use it."  
  
"Can we become sure of that?"  
  
"Not until I ask him or work with him."  
  
The prince turned and looked at Wufei directly. "Truthfully. Is it acceptable to have him in this castle?"  
  
"It is not right to kill him without giving him a fair chance. No, it is not good to have him here, but yes, I believe that with things being the way they are that he can stay. There is no need to hurt him."  
  
Heero nodded and let out a small sigh.  
  
'Admit it, you're glad that you don't have to kill him.'  
  
'I can' get attacked. It's dangerous. Especially to something like him,' Heero's mind stated flatly, shoving the other voice away, along with the thoughts. He did not need distractions now. Too much was happening at once. His kingdom was nearly at war with Sanq unless something was going to happen soon, and now he had Beelzebub as his slave. Feelings would definitely not help him now.  
  
"Then things are settled. Until we are able to find more information on Duo then he will stay in the place that he is now. Nothing will change. I will address him upfront when I think he is ready. I do not want to have him feeling as though he is cornered with no way out and feeling like the must sacrifice himself like the castle escape. Agreed?"  
  
The other three at the table nodded. Quatre was obviously feeling better, a light smile on his face.  
  
"Oh, Wufei?" The blond wondered.  
  
"Yes Quatre?"  
  
"I can still converse with Duo, right?"  
  
The black-haired teen hesitated. "No more than two hours at a time. If you start to feel light headed then tell Trowa and immediately leave."  
  
Quatre nodded, then asked another question. "What if Duo is able to control it?"  
  
Wufei, Heero, and Trowa all stared at him.  
  
"Uh...well...you know. I was just thinking. It's a power like magic and my empathy, so wouldn't he be able to train himself to control it? And once he does, then it wouldn't be dangerous to be around him any more, even if you were human, because he wouldn't automatically started draining their life," he quickly explained.  
  
Wufei nodded as he thought. "You are probably right Quatre. In time I think we will be able to bring this up. But Heero has a good point. Duo seems to be a little more than fragile at the moment and we don't want to start another panic attack which could lead to more unintentional deaths."  
  
The smaller boy nodded, but the smile on his face widened. Maybe if Duo could control that part of him and learn to control his magic then he wouldn't be so much of a threat, and then he wouldn't have to ever be killed.   
  
Heero stood, palms on the table. "I thank you for meeting with me, I'm dismissing everybody now. Quatre, Trowa, I'm sorry to leave you now though you are my guests. I am going to go up and catch Duo first."  
  
"Don't worry about us Heero. We'll find something to do while we wait for you," the blond stated excitedly and winked up at Trowa.  
  
Wufei snorted and rolled his eyes at the couple. He couldn't believe that Quatre could act like that at some times. "Well, I'm going to my chambers," he stated, standing up as well. "I stayed up all night finding that for you and I am going to get some much needed sleep."  
  
"And earned," Quatre hastily added as he watch Wufei disappear. "Have a good sleep!" He called after him. When he turned back around, he and Trowa were the only ones in the hall.  
  
  
TBC 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Chapter 12 -   
  
It seemed like forever until Duo heard footsteps approaching towards him from outside and down the hall. He didn't move from his seat on the floor, leaning his back against the foot of the bed. He knew that Heero had been informed of what he was, that was for sure. And he hated to admit that he was scared about what was going to happen to him now. The only things in his mind were the flashes of images from the Sanq Kingdom. A cold chill ran up his back at the memories and his arms tightened around his legs. Why couldn't he get the pictures out of his head? Why couldn't he forget them already? Why was he still remembering the pain? Why was he constantly afraid?   
  
//Dragging out of him again the man groaned. "Awe...you're so tight," he hissed between his teeth as he rammed back into the captive. "So hot..." he moaned again in pleasure. "And I bet that you've never," he drew out, "been taken before," he finished, plunging back in.//  
  
Duo stared blankly at the floor as the memory flashed through his mind. 'That's why I'm scared.'  
  
Through his confused and twirling mind, Duo realized that the footsteps had stopped, right in front of his, or Prince Heero's, door. The knob turned and Heero walked into the room; Duo didn't look up, but still knew it was the prince.  
  
Heero stepping into the room and closed the door gently behind him. "Duo."  
  
The braided boy could stop himself from automatically flinching at the cold, demanding voice. His eyes seemed to come back from his mind and he focused on a shadowed corner, willing himself not to look up at his Master, afraid b what he might see there if he did.  
  
"Duo."  
  
Another small flinch. "I guess that you know by now," Duo stated, his voice barely above a whisper.   
  
//"You're gonna die slow for what you did." A kick to the face made black dots flicker along Duo's vision and he nearly lost consciousness.//  
  
"Are you gonna throw me in the dungeons, or kill me?" 'Just kill me quickly. Please. I don't want to go through the pain again.'  
  
Heero stepped forward and knelt in front of Duo, resting a hand on the other boy's shoulder.  
  
Duo winced this time as well as draw back slightly, images of the guard who had dragged him into the forest spun through his mind. 'Just let it be painless,' his mind begged as he shut his eyes tight, waiting for a blow of some kind.  
  
"I'm not going to hurt you," the prince stated, emphasizing each word he spoke so that Duo was sure to understand him.  
  
//"You son of a bitch! You killed my friend back there and now you're gonna pay for it!" Again the man kicked him, but all the boy could do was grunt in pain.//  
  
Duo had trapped himself in his subconscious. The memories flashed by his eyes and finally he closed them, trying to shut out the scenes. His arms were still wrapped tightly around his legs.  
  
The prince looked at the boy in front of him intently. He hadn't responded at all to his comment, in fact, the only thing he had done at all since he had entered was shrink away from him. "Duo?"  
  
//He didn't remember being flipped onto his stomach or his pants being pulled down, but suddenly he felt pain ripping through his entire body. "This feels fucking good?!" //  
  
Heero looked at Duo. It was strange, the way that the boy was acting. Or should he say, not acting? He had not known him long at all, but knew that the braided teen was usually very cheerful and bold. Now though...now he just looked like he was frightened to death. "Duo. I promise that I'm not going to hurt you. Nothing is going to happen to you."   
  
No response.  
  
"Things are going to stay like they are now Duo. Nothing's going to change."  
  
Silence.  
  
Heero set his other hand on Duo's other shoulder and shook him, Duo whimpered and the prince immediately stopped. Something was seriously wrong, the boy was definitely not one to show weakness in front of others. "Duo. Snap out of it," the cobalt eyed boy ordered. "You're not going to die or be tortured."  
  
//The braided boy felt warm, sticky blood running down the insides of his thighs as the man pulled his member harshly from Duo's opening and then thrust back in. Duo whimpered in pain and the man just laughed at him.//  
  
"Duo!"  
  
Again the bundled teen drew back and whimpered. 'They always yell at me. The soldier, and jobbers. They're always mad and shout at me. Right before they're about to do something.'  
  
//"You fucking bastard!! After what I did for you and you kick me?!"//  
  
Heero mentally cursed himself for raising his voice to the obviously frightened boy. 'That is more than fear,' the prince told himself. "Duo. I'm sorry. Come on. Just snap out of this."  
  
Nothing.  
  
Sighing, the wild-haired teen gathered the "demonic Hell angel" into his arms and took him over to the bed. "Duo, I'm not going to hurt you." He sighed again and then inhaled the apple sent from Duo's hair. The boy was trembling in his arms. "Duo..."  
  
It was a gently touch that embraced Duo, nothing like the harsh pain that he had been expecting. Warmth, and the steady drumming of a heart by his ear. He was then lowered onto what Duo's subconscious brought up to be a bed, but it didn't matter anyway. The embrace loosened and started to leave, along with it the warmth. Duo reached out for it blindly as he felt himself loosing his grip on what balance he had left and started getting sucked down further into the darkness.  
  
Heero stopped moving away when Duo whimpered again, his eyes shutting even tighter. Finding it to be harmless, the prince slipped off his boots and slid into the bed next to Duo, wrapping his arms around the other's thin, nearly anorexic, frame. Duo seemed to relax a little bit and Heero convinced himself that he was doing it for the sake of the violet-eyed boy's mental stability and health, not because he cared for him. But because the teen was one of the most powerful beings in the world and it would be catastrophic if he lost his sanity.  
  
The braided teen started to shake harder, eye clamping shut again and Heero started to awkwardly whisper some reassuring words to the boy.  
  
"Don't worry Duo, nothing's going to happen to you. You're safe here. You're safe.'  
  
Duo felt the soothing caress of the words, though he was not able to make out what they were forming. The tone seemed to be familiar. He scrambled through his mind and tried to fit it to a face.  
  
'The man who wants to kill you.'  
  
'But his voice is so...'  
  
'Pain. Blood. Loss. Death.'  
  
//Unsheathing his sword he plunged it into the teen's stomach. "That's what you deserve!"//  
  
The words were finally becoming clearer and Duo was able to make out what they were saying.  
  
"You're safe here."  
  
'Safety. He says I'll be safe.'  
  
'For how long? Until they find your Master?'  
  
'But...'  
  
"Calm down Duo. Get control of yourself."  
  
'An order.'  
  
'Yes.'  
  
Duo's body convulsed violently as his mind was suddenly thrown from the darkness it had been engulfed in. His eyes blinked open but all he saw was blackness. He was against something though, something hard and warm, a place that felt safe, that felt perfect. The teen inhaled deeply and forced his body to relax. The smell, the husky sent, was familiar. He pulled away just enough to look up and was drowning in dark cobalt eyes. "Heero?"  
  
"Duo," Heero sighed, his voice giving the slightest hint of relief. "You're awake."  
  
"I'm..." Duo paused and the prince eyed his expectantly. "...cold," Duo finished, turning his head away and back towards Heero's chest. The braided teen was freezing and the prince was warm. His body fit perfectly against the prince's, like he belonged there. As he became more aware of the things around him, Duo felt Heero's arms wrapped around his waist and back, but gave no objection. He could feel Heero looking down at him.  
  
"Nothing's going to happen to you. You're safe." The dark-haired boy's voice was softer than usual, though it still had that under lying coldness and commanding sense to it.   
  
The braided teen sighed, keeping himself relaxed. 'It doesn't matter if he means it or not, I can't hide from anything.' He moved a little bit and Heero's arms tightened around him. 'But it feels really nice.'  
  
The two laid in silence for a couple of minutes before Duo spoke again. "What's gonna happen to me?" He asked, not having heard Heero the first time.  
  
A soft exhale of breath brushed by Duo and made his bangs flutter. "Nothing. It's going to stay just like it is now. It's not going to change."  
  
"Okay," Duo said, his voice muffled as he was reluctant to move his face away from Heero chest, as he was unwilling to move any part of himself.   
  
Heero snorted in amusement, as he rested his chin on the top of Duo's head. 'Don't get attached. Attachments are dangerous. Especially with something like him.'  
  
- - - - -   
  
Wufei opened the door to his room and all but stumbled in. His body felt like lead because of his exhaustion, making it difficult to move nearly at all.  
  
"Wufei?" A familiar voice asked.  
  
The black-haired teen groaned in response and took another heavy step towards his bed. He didn't realize what had happened until he felt warm arms holding him protectively and Treize whispered in his ear.  
  
"I told you to get some sleep. You'll work yourself to death some day Dragon. So stubborn that you never stop anything until it's finished," the redheaded captain stated.  
  
Groaning, Wufei spoke. "Why are you here Treize?" He muttered, anything but happy at how weak he was appearing at the moment, even if it was just in front of his lover.  
  
"Don't be too appreciative," the man joked as he approached the bed. "I was here for a break, looking for you. I was actually just about to leave before you came in right now," he informed the boy, pulling away the blankets from the bed and then slipping the teen under them, pulling them back up quickly. "Your sleep is much needed and deserved. I'm sure that you found exactly what you wanted." He looked down and smiled. The teen was already asleep, his breath slow and steady. "Sleep well my Dragon. I'll be back later."  
  
- - - - -   
  
"I told Quatre and Trowa that I would meet up with them later," Heero explained to Duo, who hadn't moved for nearly five minutes.  
  
The braided boy groaned and then mumbled protests into the prince's shirt. Ending with snuggling closer to the warmth.  
  
"Duo. I'm serious."  
  
More mumbling. "So am I," Duo managed to get out coherently.   
  
Heero rolled his eyes at the statement, though Duo couldn't see the action. 'Don't let yourself get close to him.' "Now Duo," he said, though he didn't withdraw his arms from the other teen's body that was still dangerously cold.   
  
"Warm," the violet-eyed teen declared matter-of-factly.  
  
"Maybe you should stay in bed then. I need to attend to my guests though."  
  
A soft grunt came from Duo. "They don't need entertainment," he informed, remembering the way that the two were always sneaking glances at each other. It wasn't difficult to realize that they were lovers. 'If not yet, will be soon,' Duo thought.  
  
"You should be staying out of other people's personal lives."  
  
"Deaf and dumb?"  
  
A sharp exhale of breath. "You need to learn manners as it is. Soon people are going to know that I have a slave and I will be expected to bring you to dinners."  
  
Duo rolled his eyes in the darkness of Heero's shirt. "You look so happy when you come back from those," he stated sarcastically.  
  
"We have to meet up with Quatre and Trowa."  
  
"I get to hang with Quatre still?" Duo asked happily, pulling away from Heero slightly so that he could look at his face.  
  
The prince nodded, his face back to being a mask. "Yes."  
  
Duo grinned. "Good! Quatre's cool."  
  
Heero stared intently at Duo as the teen buried himself back into the position he had been in. He found it odd that Duo was recovering from his panic attack so quickly. At the time, it had seemed like the boy was truly terrified. 'It must be an act,' Heero mused. 'One that he's exceptionally good at playing.'  
  
  
TBC 


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
I don't want people to start thinking that chapters are going to be this long. I just couldn't find a good place to end it and the baths seemed the best.  
  
Chapter 13 -   
  
Duo was staring at everything around him with fascination. The garden that Heero had taken him, Quatre, and Trowa to was absolutely gorgeous. 'Nothing compare to Heero himself though,' the braided youth thought as he eyed the prince's back. Heero had been talking to Quatre non-stop and it didn't look like they would be letting up from it any time soon. Him and Trowa had been walking behind them, the entire time Trowa hadn't said a thing.  
  
"Isn't it totally amazing?" Duo wondered as his eyes feasted on the hundreds of colors around him, as well as the seemingly endless different kinds of flowers, and other plants. Trowa was silent and the violet-eyed boy sighed in exasperation. "Yeah, I think so too Duo," the boy filled in for the taller teen. "Really? I've never seen anything like it before," Duo stated as himself again and then rolled his eyes. "And I thought He-Master was silent," he quickly fixed his wording as they passed another guard.  
  
Finally taking Quatre's advice of listening to conversations that happened in order to find information out about the difficulties with the Sanq Kingdom, Duo quieted down and started to eves drop on the conversation in front of him while his eyes continued to look over the heavenly place around him.  
  
"Has Queen Relena gotten hold of you yet? I thought she would try to do something just one more time in order to keep peace. She doesn't seem that fond of war," Quatre stated.  
  
Heero grunted. "Queen Relena is the one who started this in the first place."  
  
With a sigh the blond nodded. "I can not believe that she got so worked up on such a trivial thing."  
  
Duo raised an eyebrow. 'What did she threaten war over?' He wondered.  
  
"That is her nature. She is use to getting what she wants and when she does not get it, she gets angry."  
  
"But to threaten war!" The smaller prince exclaimed, just slightly louder than the rest of their hushed conversation. "That is not reasonable."  
  
Another grunt from Heero. "It was arranged by our parents. She is more than willing to go through with it. But I will not settle with this."  
  
"What did J think before he died?" Quatre asked.  
  
"There is not much to say on my father's point of view on this subject. He thought that it would be best for me, though he seemed to be bullied into the entire situation by Relena's parents and even her. I do not think that he knew their intentions."  
  
Quatre let out a deep breath. "You don't think that she wants to do this because of her infatuation with you? Do you?"  
  
"Relena has always been a person driven by power. She does not like to fight, but she does not seem to have a problem with fighting in order to gain more area in which to spread her pacifism."  
  
"That's not true peace."  
  
"No, it is not. That is why I broke the agreement. I refuse to have my kingdom merge with someone like hers."  
  
The blond nodded. "Does she know about you Heero?"  
  
"No Quatre. My father made sure not to tell anybody that I was of the blood I am. I may rule over vampires, but he was afraid of a rebellion if he were to tell the kingdom that its next ruler would be one."  
  
"Do you think that?"  
  
There was a short pause. "I am not sure. Most of my kingdom has become vampires anyway. It seems that the races are breaking apart from each other." He sighed softly. "My kingdom is more vampire than human and the human race is leaving ever more quickly. The Sanq Kingdom seems to be receiving the humans which leave mine and the magical inclined ones seem to be coming to the Winner Kingdom for their way of life."  
  
Again Quatre nodded in agreement. "We could be thrown into total chaos if a war were to start. You are right though, my people are growing in the magical numbers and reducing in much else. I look around the Prydain Kingdom and see vampires everywhere, and the few humans that are left seem to be living in near fear. Sanq must be getting the humans that are fleeing, though I have not been there in months. The races are starting to bare unsettling feelings towards one another." He hesitated and shook his head.   
  
"The magical people feel hunted by the other two races. The vampires, well...you would know them better than I, but I have been getting the feeling that they are thinking that humans are lower than them and that they look upon the human race with a slightest bit of distain. And the humans feel as though they are on the bottom, the vampires feed on them and they have no higher power such as the sorcerers, wizards, and witches," Quatre finished. "War is something that is not needed right now."  
  
"I am not about to bow down to Relena's every wish," Heero growled.   
  
The blond immediately nodded. "I know. I'm not telling you too. You should try to find a way to get out of war though. I don't know if I would be able to keep my people from fighting as well. Despite our being allies."  
  
"I believe that if war were to break out, that we would be able to keep our alliance. I doubt that the magical and the vampires have all that in difference with each other. Though we might be torn apart for awhile, I would do all in my power to keep from attacking you."  
  
"And I you, I'm just saying-"  
  
"I know what you are saying and I agree. I will try what I can if Relena contacts me. I can make no promises though."  
  
"I know that."  
  
"Good then. Are you finished listening in on us Duo?" Heero asked, not bothering to turn around.  
  
The braided teen jumped in surprise when he heard his name and then felt his cheeks grow hot as he realized that he had been found out. "I uh...well...I was just..."  
  
Heero snorted in amusement and continued to walk through the garden. Beside him, Quatre threw back a glance and chuckled slightly at Duo's flustered and confused face. "It's not possible to eves drop on a vampire," the blond giggled, turning back around.   
  
Pouting slightly, Duo crossed his arms over his chest and turned his full attention on the scenery, thoughts of the recent conversation whirling through his mind. Finally deciding that he need to clear his head for a little bit, the violet-eyed teen put the conversation into the back of his mind so that he would be able to review it later. "It's so beautiful out here," he stated to nobody unparticular.  
  
"I know, Prince Heero does have the best garden," Quatre agreed as he too let his eyes wander around. Then he turned back to Heero. "Is Duo going to make an appearance?" He wondered.  
  
The wild-haired teen hesitated. "He needs to learn some manners first."  
  
Duo's jaw dropped as he heard the statement. "Hey! That's not fair. I know manners!" He stammered, trying to stand up for himself and earned an elbow in the gut from Trowa. The braided teen turned to spit something out when he saw a guard not too far up ahead. It was the first one they had seen since he had started listening to the conversation. "Oh...sorry Master," he muttered, ducking his head down.  
  
When Duo glanced back up again, he could see the sun high in the sky, showing that it was maybe and hour or two after noon. His stomach growled and he willed it to shut up, as to not draw any more embarrassing attention to himself. 'I haven't eaten anything,' he realized. 'All I've had was a couple slices of fruit this morning.' Another low growl and a small spear of pain. He winced the slightest bit, but quickly shoved the look away with a grin as he bit his tongue to keep the pain out of mind.  
  
"We should go get something to eat," Heero suggested, changing their route and starting to head back towards the palace.   
  
Duo sighed in relief at the thought of food and more than willingly followed Heero and Quatre back into the huge estate. The shade was welcome, though much cooler than the bright sun outside. Momentarily the teen was blind, but it only lasted a few seconds before he regained sight.   
  
The four boys walked through the castle hallways for nearly ten minutes until they came to the familiar dinning area which they had been in that morning for breakfast. Lunch was already set up for all of them and each took his seat, Duo obediently taking his place on his pad beside Heero. Almost instantly Heero's hand was down in front of him with a small piece of orange in his hand. Greedily, Duo took it and swallowed it quickly. He had been hoping for something a little bit more filling than fruit but wasn't about to complain. 'I could not be getting anything at all,' he thought, making sure to be happy with what he was getting.   
  
Next a slice of chicken came down and Duo instantly took the morsel in his mouth, barely suppressing a groan of delight at how wonderful it tasted. Another piece of chicken came down and Duo's eyes caught Heero's fingers, shinning with grease from the food that he was offering for Duo. 'Can't have the prince's hands all messy, now can we?' Duo thought, grinning slightly. 'Not those beautiful fingers.'  
  
Leaning forward, Duo took the chicken, but before he drew away he licked the tips of each of Heero's fingers. 'That's better,' he contemplated as the prince slowly drew his hand away once the braided boy had settled back into place on his mat. He quickly finished the chicken and waited for something else. After a minute of not getting anything Duo decided that he had pushed the prince a little too far with his teasing and started to listen to the conversation that was going on without him. It wasn't anything interesting though and so he let his eyes wander around the room.  
  
It was a private dinning area that was obvious by the size. Only big enough to fit about twenty people, not many more than that. 'Then he must have a bigger public dinning area that he eats dinner in because of all the people that come,' Duo thought. The standard colors throughout the room were black, dark green, and silver. 'Must be Prydain's colors.' He didn't get much further in his observations though because his stomach growled and Heero's hand immediately came down again, this time with a small section of bread.   
  
Duo gratefully took it, along with the next piece and the small, but constant supply of fruit segments that he was being handed down. Finally he determined that he was truly and utterly bored. The prince's hand came down with another strawberry and Duo's mouth closed halfway around Heero's fingers, slowly his mouth slid down, his fingers grazing the boy fingers until he came to the fruit which he carefully took and pleasurably ate.   
  
After a moment a slice of apple came down and the teen's tongue lazily came out, gliding along Heero's hand until he arrived at the fruit and bit it in half. It was a different apple than last time and juice dripped down his chin as he took the bit. Cobalt eyes flickered down at Duo who, not aware to being watched, darted his tongue out and licked the sweet juice from his chin, then took the next half of the fruit. He did notice how Heero shifted in his seat though, and a small smile crept over his face.  
  
The next was an orange segment. Duo once again leaned forward slightly and took the end of the sector into his mouth and then slowly leaned forward some more, his lips traveling up the fruit and then Heero's fingers. He got to the middle of Heero's finger and then pulled away slowly, puncturing the fruit as he did so. The sweet, tangy juice ran down Duo's throat as he got to the tips of Heero's fingers and then quickly pushed forward again, his tongue swirling around and he proceeded to thoroughly fuck the prince's fingers. He pulled away and swallowed them once more before finally pulling away. Satisfied by the way Heero sat rather stiffly in his chair.  
  
His eyes wandered up the dark-haired boy's body and he had to swallow a purr. 'Beautiful,' he sighed mentally. 'Amazingly beautiful.'  
  
"Are we done?" Heero asked the two others across the table from him.  
  
A grin formed on Duo's face. He was actually quite happily full now. 'Lunch wasn't half bad,' he chuckled in his mind.  
  
"I believe that I am done Heero," Quatre stated.   
  
There was a paused and the braided teen took it for Trowa's nod.   
  
"I was wanting to spend some time in your library," Quatre asked in his soft voice from across the table. "I was thinking that we could discuss some things in private."  
  
Duo deflated. 'Quatre's mad that I eves dropped before and now he wants to talk to Heero alone because he doesn't trust me,' he thought dejectedly.  
  
"Trowa, if you wouldn't mind. I think that this conversation is going to strictly fall between us."  
  
"Yes," we the taller teen's quick response.  
  
"Maybe you could show Duo around the castle a bit. If that's okay with you Heero?"  
  
Duo's grin widened as the prince shifted once again, he could hear him taking controlled breaths, trying to calm himself down.   
  
"Yes, that would be fine. Feel free to go anywhere you like," Heero stated. "Should we go Quatre?"   
  
"Yes."  
  
The braided boy glanced up through his lashed and saw Heero nod. The prince pushed away from the table and stood up. "Duo, go with Trowa," he ordered and then walked away.  
  
After the door closed, Duo allowed himself to get to his feet. Heero's voice had definitely not been approving. If not colder than usual. Looking up, he saw Trowa across the table from him. "So, what do we do now Trowa?" He wondered, plastering a smile to his face.  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Trowa shrugged. "I'm not sure."  
  
"I don't think anything's gonna happen to Quatre, so why don't you relax," Duo suggested firstly. "Wanna show me around the grounds? Or introduce me to anybody that I might want to know? What about the soldier's training place that I ran through when I was trying to escape?" He asked eagerly, the thought just striking him.  
  
Trowa shrugged and turned to leave. Hurriedly, Duo followed the taller boy out the dinning room and caught up to him, finally settling into a pace beside him.  
  
"Hey. Could you answer some questions?"  
  
Again the copper-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "Depends."  
  
"Well, like, right now. Can I walk beside you or should I walk beside you? Cause you're a body guard and I'm a slave. Do I call you sir if we're around people? What if another person wants me to answer any questions or something? What do I do then? And what if I get into trouble? I mean, I think the thing to these magical bracelets is that I can't go places without permission and I can't try to hurt people. So what if it's a life threatening thing and I really need to hurt somebody in order to save myself? What happens in that kind of situation? Where do I go if I'm hungry and on my own like now? Can I even get food in that situation?" Duo asked in a rush.  
  
Trowa stared at him for a few minutes and then looked back down the hall. "I'm your superior so you should walk behind me. When we're alone its fine though. You don't need to call me by any formal title, and if you are to answer somebody's question you do it without question and either say 'Sir' or 'Lady'. I don't know about the bracelets. I haven't ever worn them," Trowa explained.  
  
Duo nodded and grinned. "Thanks. I've never...well...never been a slave before. I don't want to get into trouble with the wrong people or give Heero a bad wrap or anything. I should have known about the bracelets already. That was kinda a thoughtless question. I'm surprised that you followed all of that. Most people stare at me like I'm crazy when I talk. Where are we going anyway?"  
  
This time Trowa didn't say anything but instead opened a familiar door that Duo recognized was the one that he had burst through. The training grounds.  
  
Quickly Duo fell into line behind Trowa as they exited the castle. A couple of the guard members looked up from their training as they walked towards them. The teen's violet eyes were taking in everything that he possibly could, trying to remember all of the faces that he saw either sharpening weapons or practicing. More than half of the guards and soldiers he couldn't sense were there.   
  
"Hey Trowa!" A girl called.  
  
Duo turned to his right, like Trowa, to face the nearly black haired girl who was running towards them.   
  
"Haven't seen you in awhile," she stated in a friendly voice. Her eyes looked over Duo who suddenly felt like and ant being held down and inspected.  
  
"It's nice to see you Hilda," the taller boy stated, taking her attention away from Duo.   
  
The braided teen let out a small breath that he had been holding. The girl looked nice enough, but he still was edgy around guards, especially vampire guards. He nearly laughed at the thought. 'I'm the one who asked to be taken here.'  
  
"Is that Prince Heero's new slave?" The black-haired girl asked.  
  
Trowa shrugged. "What's new Hilda? Any changes in the line ups?"  
  
"Don't try to change the subject Trowa," the girl accused. "Wait a minute." She paused for a minute and looked at Duo closer. Suddenly her eyes widened. "Isn't he the one who tried to escape the other day? Wow! Ran like the devil."  
  
Duo inwardly winced at the use of words. Though he knew it wasn't at all intentional. The girl didn't even know who's slave he was, much less what he was. He knew what she was though. A vampire.   
  
"He looks pretty thin to have knocked John down so hard. And John's stronger than most," she added.  
  
The teen's violet eyes narrowed as he glared at the girl. 'Calm down Duo. You don't look like much anyway,' he willed to himself mentally.  
  
"Wanna spar?" The girl known as Hilda asked.  
  
For a moment Duo ignored her, thinking that she was talking to Trowa until she nudged him lightly on the shoulder. He looked up a little confused.  
  
"Hey, I asked you a question. Wanna spar?"  
  
Duo eyed Trowa who nodded that it was okay. "Sure. I don't usually use swords though," he stated. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Trowa's eyebrow yet again raise in semi-shock. 'Guess that I don't really look like one to have used a sword or any other weapon.'  
  
"Okay then. What 'cha wanna use? I just wanta see how strong you really are."  
  
"Don't bruise him Hilda," Trowa warned.   
  
Narrowing his eyes, Duo glared at Trowa. "You don't think I can take her on?" He asked.  
  
Trowa shrugged, but said nothing.   
  
The braided boy looked around the area for a couple of seconds and then spotted his weapon of choice. He walked over to the weapons stand and grabbed it's handle, facing Hilda. "I chose this. You can use your sword cause that's what you're best at."  
  
Hilda and Trowa both gave him odd looks. "You're gonna use that? Nobody fights with that thing."  
  
Duo's hand tightened around the scythe. "Yeah. You get what you're comfortable with. I get mine. Agreed?"  
  
"That's a little bit tall, don't you think?"  
  
The scythe was a couple of inches taller than Duo when he held it straight up. "I thought you wanted to fight?" He snapped. If there was something that really got to him, it was having people underestimate him. Duo knew that overall the girl would be stronger than him because she was a vampire, but he still had a good chance since he had a weapon. And at that, his weapon of choice. 'I'm surprised that they even have this.'  
  
"I do, you don't have to get all huffy about it," the girl stated exasperatedly.   
  
They were already in a pretty open spot and approached each other so that there was about ten or fifteen feet in-between them. Hilda got into her ready position with her sword held in front of her in both hands. Duo stood with the scythe in his two hands held diagonally in the air. For a few minutes the two just stood and waited for the other to attack, neither wanting to be the one to start.  
  
Finally Hilda decided to strike first, deciding that she had the upper hand and that she would give him the first defensive move. She charged forward and then lifted her sword to the left as the bring it down on Duo's defensive right side. In the flash of an eye, the braided teen had spun the scythe so that it was protecting that side, though he moved quickly away, not even bothering to parry her blow. Growling at the moment of embarrassment, Hilda didn't pause before she struck at Duo again who avoided the blow all together.   
  
"Come on and fight me!" Hilda exclaimed.  
  
Duo stood with his back mostly to her, his left side completely open as he was holding the scythe on the right. Hilda took the clear advantage and rushed at him.  
  
Not being able to sense his opponent made the move slightly harder to Duo who still put it into play. The vampire part of the girl made her exceptionally fast and Duo quickly twirled around to face her, his scythe spinning in the air and stopped to sturdily halt her blow.   
  
Immediately Hilda leapt away, her eyes slightly wide. The other guards from around them had halted in their own activities and were starting to create a circle around them. "You're good," she stated before rushing at him again.  
  
Blocking the blow by holding his scythe directly horizontally across his body, it took a lot of Duo's strength match that of the super natural being. He exhaled sharply as he unrepentantly moved his scythe and the sword slid down to lie in the corner of the scythe's blade and handle, the tip facing the dirt.   
  
Pulling away, Hilda rushed at him again with a series of attacks that took all of Duo's concentration to block and defend against. She was strong and a good swordswoman, not that he had expected anything less. In fact, the braided teen was pretty please with himself for doing so well. He hadn't fought with a scythe for a long time, but he had felt it sing through his body as soon as he had grabbed it. A perfect match. 'Like you and the one who is your Master,' his mind told him.  
  
Faltering slightly from the thought, Hilda had a good opening and took it, starting right for the right side. Her sword jarred against the scythe at last minute which had come out of nowhere to stop her blow. All eyes went to the point of contact where the girl's sword had torn through Duo's shirt. Not a single scrape could be shown on his skin. She looked up at Duo who's face was anything but a smile. His eyes were dark, nearly black, his smile dissipated to a mere line, his face stone cold as he stared at her. She put all of her strength into moving his scythe and making her mark to win with duel, but the weapon's handle wouldn't budge.   
  
All of a sudden Duo cracked a smile and leapt out of the way, spinning his scythe over his head so that her sword cut through air. He swiftly brought his weapon down and was barely caught by a dagger that Hilda had produced with her free hand. Liquid fire poured through Duo's veins from the bracelets as he stood there, his blade just within inches of Hilde's face. They stopped that way. Blade against blade.   
  
Duo's eyes were sparkling as he lifted his scythe away and leaned it comfortably on his shoulder. "I don't think I can go any more," he stated truthfully. "I'm not quite as strong as you are, if you get my drift. Takes a lot out of me to compete against people like you." He smiled again and walked out of the circle, returning the scythe to the rack it had been standing at. After he put it back he ran his palm against the blade, eyes glazing slightly as he remembered. A second passed and he turned back to the crowd and waved at Hilda, not a single scratch at the hand that had gone along the blade. "Great match. I hope I was tough enough for you. Don't want you to hold back or anything."  
  
Hilda smiled as she sheathed her sword. "Don't worry. You're a good opponent. Sorry about the not looking strong bit. I guess that I underestimated you a little too much." She laughed lightly. "I'm just glad that I'm not you enemy."  
  
"Yeah, well. I guess that we're all lucky that we're on the same side here. Eh?" Duo wondered as he cheerfully walked over to Trowa who had made his way from the crowd a little bit. "Bye Hilda," he stated and turned to go, then slapped his forehead. "Lady Hilda," he called over his shoulder apologetically.  
  
"Hilde's fine," the girl shouted back to his and Trowa's retreating backs.  
  
Trowa lead him silently around the side of the castle and back to the garden area.  
  
"Uh...so...did I do something terribly wrong or something?" Duo asked nervously.  
  
"No."  
  
"But, you don't seem to approve of that much. I wouldn't have done all that, but I just really didn't want to get another cut. I don't like swords much. I've had bad experiences with them," Duo explained.   
  
Trowa remained indifferent.  
  
"You know, you could at least tell me that I did a good job or something. Or tell me that I would have been beaten to a pulp in a real fight. Something to make me feel like I'm not going to die in the next five minutes," the braided boy exclaimed.  
  
The taller teen shrugged. "Good job."  
  
Duo rolled his eyes. "Oh, that means so much. Thanks a lot. So what are we gonna do now? What time is it? Ungh, I'm all sweaty and gross! I don't think Heero's gonna be too happy with this," Duo complained.   
  
"Let's go to the baths."  
  
"Hey! Good idea. Can I get a new pair of clothes there too?" Duo wondered as they entered the castle once again and started making their way through the passage ways.  
  
Trowa shrugged. "We can stop by your room first."  
  
"You know, I just washed this morning. Isn't this kinda sad? Oh well. I don't have much of a choice. Okay. Let's stop by the room and I'll grab a new outfit."  
  
They were walking back to Heero's room when they saw the said boy and Quatre walking towards them in the hallway. Quatre smiled and waved.  
  
Duo grinned back. "Hey!" He called, already knowing that no guards were around.   
  
When they all caught up to each other Heero and Quatre both gave Duo suspicious looks. "What were you up to?" Quatre asked.  
  
The violet-eyed teen grinned, and felt his cheeks getting warm. "Well...Trowa and I went to the soldier's training area outside cause I wanted to see it. And this girl Hilda thought I was kinda skimpy and was surprised that I knocked down her friend John the other day and wanted to spar."  
  
Heero's cobalt eyes narrowed as he scanned over Duo's seemingly uninjured body, though he did spot the tear in his shirt.  
  
"I said yes cause I really can't stand people thinking I'm weak and Trowa said that it was alright. And she said we could have weapons of choice, yada yada yada. Well, that's why I'm all sweaty and nasty and junk. I got out alive though!" Duo added cheerfully.  
  
"Your shirt."  
  
Duo's face fell slightly and quickly covered it up. "Oh, you noticed. That was just her sword. I blocked it though."  
  
Quatre's sea green eyes widened. "You mean she cut your shirt by you stopped her right before he cut your skin?"  
  
The youth shrugged. "It wasn't really anything spectacular."  
  
"What weapon did you use?" Heero asked.  
  
"Uh...I used the scythe. She seemed kinda surprised though I don't know why. The scythe is the best weapon to use against the sword. I'm surprised that they're not trained in using it," Duo stated.   
  
"Best to use against a sword? Have you fought before Duo?" Quatre asked.  
  
Sighing, Duo nodded, trying not to look anybody in the eyes. "Yeah, I have. But Trowa and I were just on our way to the baths to get all this stuff taken care of. Actually, we were going to get me another pair of clothes first before the bath so that I had something clean to wear."  
  
"I'll come. How about you Heero?" The small blond asked.  
  
Heero nodded. "Lets head over there right now."  
  
"But my clothes," Duo protested.   
  
"I can have a servant go get them," the prince stated as he started to walked.   
  
"Do I get my haired washed again?"  
  
"Baka."  
  
"Hu?"  
  
Quatre chuckled ahead of him and Trowa exhaled quickly.   
  
"What did you just call me?" Duo asked, totally confused, he had heard the word somewhere before, though he wasn't quite sure where. Then he remembered. "Hey! That's not nice! I'm not an idiot!" He exclaimed as he ran after to others whom he had fell behind when he had been thinking.   
  
They got to the baths soon enough and were all sitting around the rim of the smaller pool that they had been in before. Duo sighed pleasurably as he let the warm water engulf his senses and allowed himself to relax after making sure that his hair was safely out of harms way and on the floor behind him. His bangs were still clinging to his forehead though and he could feel the roots of his hair wet and sweaty, not to mention the hair that was against his neck. Finally giving into the desire, he slipped the band from his braid and let it float in the pool.  
  
"You just washed that this morning Duo," Quatre mentioned.   
  
"I know I know, we were all just in here this morning. It's just that I can't stand sweat in my hair by my scalp. When it dries its all salty and the worst to deal with," he informed the blond across the pool. "Where's that shampoo and conditioner stuff that you used this morning?" Duo asked Heero, who was sitting silently beside him.  
  
The prince didn't respond.   
  
Seeing the bottles just on the other side of Heero, Duo rolled his eyes and leaned over the other teen's lap in effort to grab the bottles. They were just out of his reach though and so he put his knees on the step he had been sitting on and stretched a little bit further. He felt his member graze along Heero's upper thigh and suddenly fell lost his balance, falling into the middle of the pool.  
  
He came back up for air stuttering confused. He looked around and saw that Quatre was nearly pointing and laughing at him, much like he had that morning. "I don't think it's really nice to laugh at people," Duo pouted, causing the blond to laugh harder. Still pouting, Duo went over the steps in front of the bottles he was after in the first place and grabbed the first one. "I'm right about this one? Right?"  
  
Quatre could barely nod he was laughing so hard.  
  
Not trusting the blond at the moment, Duo looked over at Trowa questioningly. He nodded and Duo poured some into his hands, then started to massage his own head. After a minute he sighed and dropped his arms into the water, letting them relax. He had never really washed his hair before and hadn't realized what an actual chore that it truly was. A moment later he reached back up and continued. Soon dropping his hand down again though and groaning.  
  
"Come here," Heero stated and Duo willingly sat himself the small step down and in-between the prince's knees once again. "Baka," he whispered.  
  
Duo barely registered the name as Heero massaged his scalp. He started to purr again. God's it was wonderful. 'He's wonderful,' Duo thought as he leaned back onto his hands which were right on the sides of Heero's thighs. Slowly he started to moved his fingers a little bit, rubbing them against Heero's soft skin. 'Perfect.'  
  
After a minute, the prince put his hand on the top of Duo's head to indicated that he was going to push him down. The teen willingly complied and slid under the water's surface, letting the suds wash away. A second later he came back up and Heero started to put conditioner in it a second time that day. 


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Warning: There is yaoi in this chapter. For non-yaoi people I suggest that you read as far as you can till you get to when it starts (cause the beginning doesn't have it and you need to read that). So I'll put a little * by notes at the bottom of the chapter saying what important information was switched during activities. Agreed? Hope that you don't stop reading this, and I hope that this works for you all who don't like yaoi.  
  
Chapter 14 -   
  
After they had all gotten out of the baths and dressed, a servant told Heero that he and Quatre had about forty-five minutes before their dinner. They all headed out of the baths and through the halls to some destination which was unknown to Duo.  
  
"I'm not coming to dinner, am I?" Duo asked softly from behind Heero and Quatre.  
  
"No."  
  
Duo sighed in relief. He definitely did not want to do any acting in front of many important people. 'For God's sake. I barely know how to act like a decent slave just around the castle. At least he knows that I'm not ready to go to dinners yet. I should be thankful for that.'  
  
"You'll have to go sometime soon though."  
  
Another soft sigh. "As long as it's not tonight," Duo stated. "I don't think I'd enjoy it too much any way. Sounds boring."  
  
Quatre stifled a giggle.  
  
"What's so funny Q? None of you seem all that cheery when you come back from one of those things. Why am I expected to enjoy them?" Duo huffed.  
  
"You're not," Heero stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"So that truth comes out!"  
  
Quatre finally did laugh. "You are too much Duo. The truth has always been out. There's not truth to be out," he informed from up ahead. "You're just ready to turn everything into some hazard of some kind."  
  
The violet-eyed teen shrugged. "Everything is a hazard Q. Take dinners. Hm...okay, one, long; two, boring; three, have to act like everybody expects you to; four, no room for a mess up; five, really rich people to pick pockets from...actually," a small smile formed on his face. "That's not too bad of an idea."  
  
"That's why I can't take you to dinner Duo."  
  
"So you mean, all I have to do is act like this and I won't have to go?"  
  
A soft snort. "Baka. Go up to the room now, I don't want you getting into any more trouble. I'll bring something up later."  
  
"Fine, fine, fine," the teen mumbled as he separated from the group and trudged down the hallways as he tried to find his way back to Heero's room. It took him nearly half an hour, but he was finally there. Exhaling deeply, Duo shut the door behind him and fell onto the bed, not caring if it broke to a thousand pieces beneath him. Contrary to what he had been acting like, he was exhausted to the bone, from the panic attack earlier and even more so, the duel he had held with the girl Hilde. It had taken most of his strength and sapped some that he didn't even know he had available to give into the fight.   
  
'And if she had been a real threat she would be dead.'  
  
Duo shivered at the thought, but knew that it was right. When he had a scythe in his hands, nothing could stop him from killing an opponent that truly meant him harm. It was scary. He didn't have any control almost, when things like that happened. It was like he went on complete automatic.   
  
'Lucky I could snap myself out of it.'  
  
He remembered the dark feeling that had completely swallowed him when he had been fighting. Another shiver ran up his spine and he felt like the temperature in the room was dropping. He had no doubt about what he had looked like for that minute before he had been able to shove the feeling away, to convince himself that Hilde was not an enemy. And even then he had come within two inches of splitting her skull open.   
  
'She's lucky that she's a vampire and I was slowing down,' he thought.  
  
Slipping under the covers, Duo started to warm himself up once again. His mind drifted away from the fight, thankfully, and onto better subjects. Heero. A grin spread across Duo's face as he remembered breakfast and lunch. 'That was interesting. Maybe I should try something like that tomorrow.' Lunch was particularly standing out in his mind. He had no doubt that Heero had a hard on and had ended the meal so quickly because he needed to calm himself down. 'He was breathing pretty heavily,' Duo smirked. 'Of course, so was I.'  
  
Not able to keep his eyes open any longer, Duo let himself be overtaken by sleep and slip into peaceful darkness.  
  
- - - - -   
  
Heero walked into his room with a plate in one hand and saw that Duo was lying in bed, asleep. 'If this happens every night then he's never going to get dinner,' the prince thought tiredly as he set the plate on the long dresser. He kicked of his boots silently and walked over to Duo. Quietly and gently he slipped the masses of jewelry from the sleeping boy's body. When he had taken all of it off except for the two magical bracelets he set them on the table by he plate of food and stripped down to the tight black shorts and green tank top that he wore every night and slipped in the opposite side of the bed Duo was on.  
  
"Did you have a nice night?" Duo asked, his voice low and slow, showing how tiered he was.   
  
"Hn."  
  
The violet-eyed teen turned towards him and took up the position he had earlier in the after noon. Curled up with his head buried in Heero's chest. "You sound like it was a blast."  
  
Heero grunted non-comentally again, his arms wrapping around the other teen reflexively. He had already given up on trying to convince himself that he didn't care something for the other boy. It was too obvious that he did.   
  
"Did Wufei show up to dinner?" Duo muttered.  
  
"Yes."  
  
A small chuckle. "I bet that he was thrilled with dinner disturbing his nap time an all. Remind you of anything?" The boy wondered as he tried to get closer. Slowly he relaxed and his breathing became steady.  
  
Nearly ten minutes passed since Duo had last spoke and the wild-haired vampire had started to hear muffled snores. Heero couldn't help but look down at the boy who seemed to be trying to bury himself into Heero, and think that he was beautiful. 'Who could have ever thought?' He asked himself, unconsciously pulling Duo closer to him. Staring down at the youth, he mentally sighed. The black clad boy was extremely thin, though it was appartently mostly, if not all, muscle. 'He is beautiful.'  
  
The braided teen mumbled something incoherently and shifted slightly, his arm lightly sweeping by the prince's groin.  
  
Growling softly at the light touch, Heero tried to shift himself so that there was a little bit more room between the two, though he was still craving the closeness of Duo's body which fit perfectly against his own. In the end he kept the same position that he was in to begin with.  
  
Again the sleeping boy moved, snuggling closer to Heero, his hand coming to rest on the inside of Heero's thigh.  
  
The prince didn't move as the warm hand remained where it was. They boy beside him not moving again. He let out a small breath and tried to move so that Duo's hand would fall back between them but instead succeeded moving the sleeping boy so that when Duo mumbled and shifted again, the braided teen's hand was directly in-between them. The dark-haired boy suppressed a hiss as he felt blood rushing down between his legs. Looking down and catching a glimpse of Duo's sleeping heart shaped face didn't help him at all.   
  
Heero couldn't help himself from imagining Duo stark naked lying on the bed welcomingly. What would it be like to kiss him, or run his tongue over the pale boy's chest and neck? How would it feel to make love to him? The teen couldn't help but moan at the thought of plunging into Duo's beautiful body. 'God, and I'm just thinking about him.'  
  
Before he knew what he was doing, Heero had a hand up Duo's black shirt, and was massaging him chest, fingers running along the other teen's nipples. Duo groaned and the prince started to draw his hand away.  
  
"Heero," Duo moaned in sleep as he started to uncurl and simply mold himself to the prince's body.  
  
Unable to stop himself, Heero kept his hand where it was and gently twisted one of the other boy's nipples between his thumb and forefinger.  
  
"Ngh...Heero..." Duo moaned again, lost in dream.  
  
The cobalt-eyed boy rewarded the other side of Duo's body with the same treatment, drawing another moan. 'He wants me too,' he stated mentally, the thought pleasing him somehow. His hand ventured down the braided boy's flat stomach and disappeared in his lose pants, suddenly pulling back out again. No, he wasn't going to do that, he wouldn't do anything without permission.   
  
"Heero?" Duo asked huskily, his eyes blinking open.  
  
When the dark-haired boy looked down into Duo's violet eyes he saw that they were glazed in lust.  
  
Duo's boy rubbed against Heero's and they both gasped when their erections touched. "God Heero," the violet-eyed teen moaned. "Touch me. Please?" He begged and felt Heero's hand slide into his pants, and gasped as he took a hold of his hard cock and started to slowly pump him. "Oh God," Duo groaned, fully awake now and lost in pleasure. Heero's hand pumped him faster and harder until Duo crashed over the brink and came in his hand.  
  
Smirking, Heero lifted his hands from Duo's pants and licked his fingers clean of Duo's seed. "You're good Duo."  
  
"Heero," Duo pleaded, his erection already coming back. 'When did I fall for him so hard? When did I fall in love with him?' Duo asked himself, but lost the question as Heero leaned forward and kissed him. His tongue ran along Duo's lips asked for entrance and Duo willingly gave it, without any resistance, and let Heero plunder through his mouth. The braided boy moaned into the other's mouth, his mind fogged over. 'When did I fall in love with him?' He wondered again as Heero broke away from him, leaving them both panting hard. Duo's eyes locked with Heero's cobalt ones and he felt like he was drowning in them. 'I was always in love with him,' Duo decided, moaning again. 'I always loved him.'  
  
"Duo I..." Heero couldn't finish the statement as he stared into Duo's pleading and lust filled eyes. Instead he rolled on top of the slightly smaller boy and claimed another passionate kiss.   
  
Duo was hard again and lost himself in the second kiss with Heero. Bruising and hard, but he didn't care. God he didn't care because it just felt so good. "Heero," he begged again as they broke away, his breath coming short. "I want you." He tore at Heero's tight shorts and finally got them off, Heero had already discarded Duo's black pants and shirt and finally Duo got the green tank top off and on the floor. "Please."  
  
Heero straddled Duo and sat up, staring down in amazement at the sight beneath him. Duo was an angel, whether he be one from Hell or Heaven it didn't matter, he was absolutely gorgeous. His mind working quickly, Heero slid from the bed and grabbed something from another table and soon came back to his original position, a small bottle of cream in his hand. He quickly coated three fingers on one hand and positioned the first at Duo's opening, then looked up into pleasure glazed, but frightened, violet orbs. "Duo...are you sure about this?"  
  
"Please Heero. Please just take me," the chestnut-haired boy begged as he wriggled beneath Heero.   
  
With a final nod, Heero pushed his first digit into Duo's entrance gently. He had seen the fear in the boy's eyes and didn't want to do anything that would cause Duo to hate him later on, or become even more fearful.  
  
Soon enough Duo moved and Heero pushed in second and then a third, and searched. Finally his fingers rubbed against something that sent shocks of pleasure up Duo's spine, causing him to scream and he squirmed underneath the prince. Relentlessly Heero drew his fingers out and rammed them against Duo's pleasure spot. Finally he withdrew his fingers, causing Duo to whimper at the lose.   
  
Heero then coated his own dripping member and positioned himself at Duo entrance and slowly started to rock himself into the sweetness that was Duo. 'God he's so tight,' Heero growled lowly as his cock disappeared into the boy under him. "Duo," he moaned, settling himself in as far as he could go. Then reached down and snapped the band from the end of Duo's braid. The hair quickly came undone and brushed his skin feather light as it settled around the boy's naked body.  
  
Duo's head was back as far as he could put it and his eyes were shut tight, his fists gripping the blankets around him. He couldn't believe how much pleasure was radiating through his body. Nobody had ever made him feel this way, not that he would have expected them to. Jobbers were always quick and didn't want anything but pleasure for themselves, and the guard...Duo shoved the thought away as he let the sensation of Heero in him radiate to all parts of his warm body.   
  
"Heero," he whined, moving his hips. "God Heero, move."  
  
Deciding that Duo was ready, Heero slowly slid from Duo's body and thrust back in. Beneath him, Duo was helpless.   
  
"He-Heero," Duo stammered.  
  
Again Heero slowly pulled himself from Duo till only the tip on his cock was left. Duo whimpered and then gasped as the dark-haired boy thrust deep into him, slamming against his pleasure spot. The chestnut-haired boy screamed as stars exploded behind his eyelids.  
  
"Heero!"  
  
The prince groaned and started to speed up his pace, withdrawing and thrusting back into the other teen as hard as he could, hitting his pleasure place each time. Sensing that Duo was about to come, Heero's hand closed around the violet-eyed teen's cock and started to pump.  
  
Duo opened his eyes as Heero's hand closed around his own dripping member, and locked with Heero's. It was too much for him to take and Duo shouted Heero's name as he came, his muscles clamping around Heero so that after two more deep thrusting the teen came as well, softly moaning Duo's name as his seed spilling into the violet-eyed boy's body.  
  
Heero collapsed on top of Duo, each of them were breathing hard and completely spent. Gathering the long-haired beauty into his arms, Heero slid his member from Duo's body and rolled off to the side as not to crush the boy, making sure to hold him close.  
  
"Heero," Duo whispered, starting to breath normally again. "I...I love you," he stated before sleep swept down on him and claimed him, leaving him spent and limp in Heero's arms.  
  
"I love you too Duo," Heero whispered to the still form as he pulled the blankets around them. Pulling Duo closer one more time, Heero let his own breathing slow and fall into sleep.  
  
  
TBC  
  
*Duo realizes that he has loved Heero since he met him and declares his love. After Duo falls asleep, Heero tells Duo that he loves him as well. 


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Note: Prydain Kingdom's colors have changed to: black, dark green, and silver. (Black instead of white cause I realized that Duo's clothes were black with silver trim before, so black is the color instead of white. Dark green instead of navy blue cause it just seems to hold up better in my mind.)  
  
  
Chapter 15 -   
  
Duo woke up and sighed pleasurably. He was warm and memories of the night before flowed through his mind. Heero had been wonderfully gentle with him. Heero was beautiful. Heero was perfect. Heero was...not in bed. The braided boy growled and cracked open an eye, looking around a little bit and almost immediately spotted Heero getting dress. "Is there a law against staying in bed?" He wondered as he covered the blinding light of the rising sun by throwing an arm over his arm, much like he had the other morning.   
  
"We already slept in. Breakfast starts in ten minutes," the cobalt-eyed teen informed as he laced up the off white shirt he had pulled on over his head. "Get up Duo, there's not time to waist."  
  
"But Hee-chan!" Duo complained as he yanked his arm away and sat up with his legs hanging off the side of the bed in one fluid motion. The top comforter was barely covering his lap, the rest of him was naked to the world. He grinned evilly, his eyes traveling up the prince's body. "Hee-chan," he coaxed.  
  
Turning around slightly, the prince raised an eyebrow. "What did you call me?"  
  
Still grinning, Duo slowly stood up, the blanket falling from his lap and starting walking towards Heero. Suddenly the dark-haired boy grabbed something from behind him and threw a mass of black, dark green, and silver in Duo's face.  
  
"Get dressed Duo, we don't have time to waist."  
  
Groaning, the chestnut-haired boy separated the clothes and slid into black silk pants lined with dark green and silver, the were made out of the same silk material that his pants the day before but they fit a little bit more snuggly and the others. He slid the shirt on and found it to be much like Heero's, instead of off white though, it was black. It had the same three or four inch slice down from the center of the neck and Duo loosely laced it. Then he walked over to the table and quickly put on his jewelry. When he turned around the bracelets tinkled softly. He smiled warmly at the boy in front of him. "Now we go to breakfast?" He asked.  
  
Heero's eyes feasted on Duo's body for a moment before he quickly covered the space between them, his hand slid behind the slave's head and he leaned down. Their lips met and Duo's gave Heero passage to his mouth as soon as the other's tongue flickered out and touched his bottom lip. The prince plundered the warm cavern and then, just as quickly as it had happened, he pulled away. "Come on, we're going to be late."  
  
In a slight daze, Duo watched Heero exit the room and then suddenly came back to reality and rushed after the quickly retreating prince. "Wait for me!" He called as he hurriedly met up with the other teen and took his place a few paces behind him. The halls were starting to become somewhat familiar to Duo and he praised himself for remembering. 'It helps to have a photographic memory though,' he thought slyly. 'Yeah, and I never forget a face.' After the thought his mood dampened a little bit. He quickly shrugged it off and let his eyes wandering over the halls, paying more attention to the small details now that he new the main area.   
  
He did not get to inspect for very long because in about two minutes they were entering the dinning area. When Duo looked up he spotted Quatre who he smiled to, surpressing the automatic urge to wave to. Beside the blond was Trowa with his costomary straight face, though he did nod in their direction. And about three seats from them sat the black-haired Wufei. Heero took his normal seat and Duo plopped silently down beside him. Having already had a good look around the room the other day, Duo didn't have much else to do than to listen to the conversation. 'If there was any conversation going on that is.'  
  
"Are you feeling better Wufei?" Heero asked.  
  
"Yes, I am. Thank you. Has any new information come from the Sanq Kingdom?"  
  
"No, I haven't received anything yet. Either a message is on its way or Relena has decided to give up. Though I doubt that she has. She has quite a mind for staying focused," the Prydain Prince told the others.  
  
'What is this whole thing over?' Duo wondered idly to himself, waiting for either more of the conversation or food. Maybe even both. Seemed to have read his mind once again, Heero's hand came down holding an apple slice. 'Does he always start meals off with an apple?'  
  
Quatre was the next to speak. "I don't think that she should start war over something like this."  
  
"She was expecting to get married Quatre," Wufei stated.  
  
The braided boy on the ground choked on his apple as he heard the sentence. 'Married? Heero's suppose to get married to Relena?' His blood suddenly ran cold, a chill running up his spine.  
  
"Yes, but I wouldn't think that she would do something as derrastic as start war over something of the sort."  
  
"She hasn't declared anything yet," Heero added.  
  
"True," Quatre agreed, "but if I am not mistaken, you are not going to be saying yes to her at any time."  
  
Duo saw Heero nod and he was finally able to take a breath.   
  
"Yes, we talked about this yesterday in the garden."  
  
"Oh," the blond said, and Duo imagined a faint blush crossing his cheeks. "You're right. I didn't mean to bring it all up again."  
  
The prince shrugged lightly. "Wufei has not heard this yet. It would be best to talk to him today about it."  
  
There was a pause where the braided teen mentally saw a picture of Quatre nodding in agreement. Duo automatically took the next slice of apple, not truly paying attention to what he was eating.  
  
"Yes. That would be best. Should we talk to Trieze and Rashid as well? They are our leaders of defense," Quatre added.  
  
A split second of hesitation. "I do not think that we need to bring this up with them quite yet. Maybe when I get world from the Sanq Kingdom."  
  
The conversation changed course to other things and Duo tuned out from it, not finding anything interesting, important, or helpful. His fully attention was turned back to the hand that was feeding him breakfast. 'If I keep on eating like this I'm gonna get thinner than I already am,' the commented to himself mentally. Shrugging, he happily took an orange segment. Next was a piece of sausage, plump and juicy between Heero's thumb, index, and middle finger which were shinning with greasy. Thoughts of the chicken from the other after-noon flashed through the teen's mind and a smile grew. 'I don't think I could ever get bored from meals here,' he thought pleasantly as he took the slice.  
  
Quickly he swallowed it and then closed his lips around Heero's thumb, slowly pulling away and cleaning it. After that he took the two other fingers into his mouth, his tongue running down them and back up, swirling around their tips. Duo smiled as he found that it was much easier to fuck two of Heero's fingers than it had been the entire hand. He could hear the prince's breath becoming shorter, though not by much. 'He has really good control over himself. Let's just see how much,' Duo though wickedly as he relentlessly attacked the fingers. Taking them fully in his mouth he swallowed, as though he were trying to take more than was there, then he hummed softly, the vibrations from his throat reaching just the tips of Heero's fingers.  
  
"Are you okay Heero?" Quatre mused from the other side of the table.  
  
Taking a deep breath and swallowing Heero nodded curtly. "Fine."  
  
Duo noticed the locked control on the dark-haired boy's voice, but he had non-the-less shifted in his seat. Not moving his head to give away what he was doing, the braided boy raised a hand and slid it along Heero's thigh, running his fingers gently along the inside of the other teen's upper leg.   
  
"Are you sure you're alright Heero?" Quatre asked again, worry touching his voice.  
  
"I'm...I'm fine," Heero stated, barely suppressing a moan.  
  
Suddenly there was a knock on the door and a servant stepped in, barely seven feet from Duo who immediately withdrew his hand and let the fingers go, licking them somewhat clean before going back to his normal position. "Prince Heero, Prince Quatre, Scorcerer Wufei, Sir Trowa," the man said as he bowed.   
  
"What is it?" Heero asked gruffly, his voice a little bit throaty than normal.  
  
"A message from Queen Relena of the Sanq Kingdom. She says that she is coming to visit and will be here by this evening," the man informed, bowing once again.  
  
The violet-eyed teen could feel Heero tense beside him as he also did.  
  
"Is there anything else?"  
  
"No Prince Heero."  
  
"Thank you. You may go now," Heero said in a dismissing voice. Then turned back to the other three around the table after the man left.  
  
"Tonight?" Quatre asked incredulous. "What is she thinking? She should at least give a three day notice. Do you think that she's purposefully trying to catch you off you're guard?"  
  
Heero exhaled deeply. "Either that, she forgot to tell me before hand, or she wants to get here while you are still here," he stated.  
  
A pause. "Why would she want me to be here?"  
  
"I don't know. I rarely know what she is thinking or how her mind is working. All I can do it fight the best I can against her plans. Quatre, Wufei, Trowa, I believe we should meet in the library as quickly as possible." With that he stood up and Duo could hear the scrapping of chairs as the others did so as well. "Get up Duo."  
  
Scrambling to his feet, Duo stood in front of Heero. "Yes?"  
  
"I give you permission to walk around the castle as well as the outside grounds. If anyone questions you just show them this," he stated as he handed Duo a small piece of paper with his signature on it. "There are some restricted areas and you will be warned by your bracelets when you approach them."  
  
Duo nodded mutely and took the paper. With a flick of his wrist it disappeared in the clothing, he smiled as Quatre looked at him in a silent fascination. The blond quickly recovered and smiled back softly.   
  
"Try to keep out of trouble. And if you need anything to eat just go into the kitchen," Heero said.  
  
"Okay."  
  
With a nod, Heero turned and started to leave the room with the other three.   
  
When the door opened Duo called after him. "He-Master?"  
  
"Yes?" Heero asked, turning around.  
  
Suddenly Duo thought his question was rather childish. "Can I spar again?" He wondered.  
  
The prince paused for a moment, his eyes scanning over Duo's body. "Don't get hurt," he declared and then disappeared from the room.  
  
'I wonder why Trowa gets to go with them,' Duo wondered then shook the thought from his head and grinned at the thought of sparing again. It had taken a lot out of him the other day, but it had been fun. He obviously needed to start working out again. He had been pretty good with a scythe a couple years ago, but then things started to get really tight with Queen Relena's soldiers hunting for him along with nearly every other bounty hunter in the kingdom. He had to abandon the scythe because it had brought him too much un-needed attention. Hilde had been right the other day. Most people didn't use scythes.  
  
Finally coming back to reality, Duo hurriedly left the dinning room. His stomach growled loudly though and he realized that the last two days he had missed dinner and what he did eat wasn't all that much. Making up his mind, he started to wander around in search for the kitchen.   
  
If was about twenty minutes later when Duo at last entered the kitchen. About ten minutes into his search he had asked another servant who he had passed in the hall where it was and the other ten he had to figure the directions out. 'Pretty good if I do say so myself.' He grinned and then ducked out of the way of a cook just in time before he was shoved into the wall.   
  
"Get out of the way kid!" Another person shouted and Duo again was just able to twirl out of a woman's way.  
  
"Uh...can I get some food?" He asked nobody inparticular, not really knowing who to approach. A woman rushed by him and he caught her by the arm lightly, turning her to face him. "Who do I ask for a snack?" He asked.  
  
The woman, who was probably in her late fourties looked down her nose at the braided-boy, her eyes doing a full examination. Finally she huffed, her eyes still narrowed. "Let go of me first."  
  
Duo felt himself jump and immediately let the woman go. "Opps. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. Did I hurt you?" He asked, nibbling his bottom lip in nervousness. He didn't want to get on the bad side of any of the chiefs. The people decided if he got to eat anything real or not. "I'm really sorry. It's just that I didn't have dinner and not much breakfast...well, not that much anything and..." Duo took a step back as he realized that the woman was human. "Uh..."  
  
Her brown eyes softened slowly and her lips twitched in a light smile. "No. I'm not hurt. But I do get all sorts of servant coming in asking for food. And I don't need that. Especially not now when Queen Relena is arriving this evening. I'm having enough troubles getting everything ready as is."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I can really hold off till lunch. Don't let me slow you down. I just didn't know that you were so busy. I guess I didn't think about the kitchen's preparations for arriving Queens. I don't want to get you all in trouble. I'll just go now," Duo said hurriedly and was starting to turn to leave when she stopped him.  
  
"You look knew. Who are you?"  
  
"Duo Maxwell," the violet-eyed boy stated warmly. "I'm Prince Heero's new slave," he informed.  
  
The woman's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, Prince Heero. Of course I'll get you-"  
  
"No. Please. I don't want to intrude. I'm really okay on my own for now."  
  
Her eyes traveled Duo's body again as she shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Poor dear thing. You don't look like you have a bit of meat on you. And a personal slave at that. I doubt you get anything to eat at all. Haven't had dinner and barely any breakfast. Dear me. You just wait right here and I'll be back in just a moment. You hear me?" He asked, an aura of a mother hen surrounded her.  
  
Duo nodded and pressed himself against the wall to keep out of people's way as he waited for what seemed to be the head cook to come back. The wait wasn't a long one because she appeared just a few minutes later with a plate. "Here you go," she said pleasantly as she offered him the plate which had a nice slice of eggs, sausage, mashed potatoes, and a bread roll on it. "Now I don't want that back till it's cleaned off. I have a feeling that I'm going to be needing to keep my eye on you Duo Maxwell. Now go along outside and eat it, just drop the plate and silverware back off when you're all done."  
  
"Thanks a lot. I must be a hassle during all of this."  
  
"No, not at all. You're nicer than a lot of the folks that are running around here. Now go on. I have work to get back to."  
  
Duo smiled and nodded. "Uh...what's you're name?" He asked quickly before the woman could get swept back up by the swarm of people.  
  
"Ms. Crawford. Now get on your way."  
  
With one final nod and thank you, the braided teen wove his way to one of the back doors which was open to the outside. He slid out when it was free and looked around. Spotting a barrel not too far off to his left, the boy happily bounced over to it and plopped down. Sitting with his feet folded in front of him, Duo started on his breakfast.  
  
- - - - -   
  
"So what's going on? What did you and Quatre talk about yesterday?" Wufei asked impatiently as the four boys took their seats in the library.  
  
"The possibilities of war breaking out between all three kingdoms," Heero informed.  
  
The black-haired teen's eyes looked at Heero then Quatre and back to Heero. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"There's been a large migration of the races to the three kingdoms. The magical are settling in the Winner Kingdom, the humans in the Sanq Kingdom, and the vampires here."  
  
"You must have been noticing it Wufei. Along with the growing resentment between them all," Quatre hastily added.  
  
The scorcerer nodded. "Yes. I have, but I did not think that it could cause war."  
  
Heero exchanged looks with Quatre. "I know. Quatre and I talked about this in the garden and then in the library yesterday. Trowa wasn't here either because I had to let Duo get some kind of tour before I had him go on his own. If Relena does declare war between the Sanq Kingdom and Prydain Kingdom then things are going to get chaotic. Since Prydain is already nearly all Vampires, there is a large chance that the Humans living here are either going to be killed, enslaved, or exiled. The Humans in Sanq are going to be able to feed their anger at the Vampires and Magical races for being stronger than them, and put it into action, becoming a large and powerful military. The Magicals are not going to just automatically side with the Vampires, they as well have their differences. It will be war between all three kingdoms."  
  
"A war of the races," Wufei finished.  
  
Heero nodded as he let the Wufei and Trowa think about what he had just said. After a minute he took it up again. "In time we would be able to make alliance with Quatre once again, because it is more likely that the Vampires and Magicals will be able to settle their differences easier."  
  
"That just leaves the humans though."  
  
"The humans which will be a mass mob and hard to beat. As well as the Hunters," Heero stated in a cold voice.  
  
Wufei snapped to attention. "The Hunters? I thought that they were gone."  
  
Heero shook his head. "The Hunters were never gone or defeated. They have simply gone under in Sanq. Because the Sanq Kingdom is humans, they are able to blend easily, occasionally hiring themselves out to get money or wandering because of their own desire for the kill. The Humans will be enough of a problem, but the Hunters will be worse."  
  
"There can't be many more of them though. How do you even know that they're still in existence."  
  
"I have noticed things happening. Vampires being killed is not something that happens very often. There have been sighting in Prydain as well as Winner, all of which reach the descriptions of Hunters."  
  
"If the Hunters have been living in Sanq for all these years then we have no clue of their numbers. It might even be that they have let themselves be known to Relena even," Quatre stated.   
  
"Might they try to form their own kingdom?" Trowa asked, speaking for the first time.  
  
- - - - -   
  
Duo finished his meal and bounced off of the barrel, heading back into the kitchen. He poked his head in and then slipped inside, dropping his dishes lightly by a stack of dirty ones by a bucket of soapy water. His eyes scanned the mass of people working and he spotted Ms. Crawford by a couple of other cooks next to a spit with a plump turkey on it. The braided boy's mouth watered despite the fact that he had just eaten. Quickly he made his way over and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.  
  
"Duo, done already are you? What do you need?" She asked pleasantly.  
  
"Actually, I wanted to know if I could do anything for you. A thank you type thing," he informed, pasting on one of his prize smiles.  
  
The woman nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I don't want to really make you do any work. I don't know what Prince Heero would say about that."  
  
"Awe, let me do something for you. I've done plenty of work before and he'll never know. I promise."  
  
Noticing that the teen indeed wanted to repay her, the woman inspected the kitchen. Then turned again as another person drew her attention. "Yes?"  
  
"We're running low on fire wood," the man stated and then disappeared when she nodded a dismissal. Turning back to Duo she shook her head. "I don't think that there's really anything suitable for you. I would give you something, but I really don't want to give you anything you could get hurt at doing. Now go on and have some fun outside if you have some free time now," she said, shooing him from the kitchen.  
  
Once outside again, Duo's eyes spotted a thick tree stump and a pile of not yet chopped wood beside it. Remembering the man's remark on needing more, the teen set over and grabbed the axe that was leaning there. He set the first log up and his bracelets jingled as he brought the axe down hard, spitting the thing in half almost perfectly. Weilding an axe wasn't all that much different than a scythe. Well, maybe a lot different, but he still had the muscles for it. Grabbing another log, Duo again brought the blade down.   
  
The violet-eyed boy was through with cutting the logs in half and was on his second quarter cut when he let himself acknowledge that he needed something to cover his hands which had started to blister slightly. Sweat was soaking his back and chest and ran down his brow. Looking around for a moment, he finally took off his shirt and wrapped it around his right hand, the one that was working the hardest and getting most of the red marks.   
  
As quickly as possible, the teen finished the pile completely and stood back, grinning. He was glad that he could do something for the nice cook, but it had also been nice to do some work. Duo was use to running and hiding on the streets and missed the days that he actually would stand up and fight. Even though chopping wood wasn't anything like fighting, it still got his blood pumping and muscles working. Taking a lode of logs in his hand he walked back into the kitchen and nearly ran into Ms. Crawford. "I heard that you needed some of this," Duo stated, smiling sincerely.   
  
The woman sighed an smiled. "Well, that was quite nice of you Duo. Who chopped the...oh my God!" She exclaimed as her eyes saw his hands which were blistered and lightly bleeding. "You chopped the wood? Duo! You're Prince Heero's personal slave. You should never actually do any work. Put those logs down right over there now," she demanded.  
  
Feeling vaguely embarrassed, Duo set the wood down and turned back to face the woman again. "I was just trying to help," he said weakly as she unwrapped his shirt from his left hand. He had changed it halfway through hoping to spare both hands a little. 'And I guess that I did. They'd be really busted up if I hadn't done that.'  
  
Again the woman clucked. "You're poor hands. Come here, I'll put something on them and bandage them up for you," she stated, all but dragging Duo behind her as she made her way across the kitchen.  
  
"I don't want to take you away from your work or anything though," Duo protested buy let himself be taken to the far corner. Now that he was actually thinking about his hands he felt them stinging hotly.   
  
"Don't worry about that. Now you sit down on that chair right there and hold your hands out palms up. Okay, that's good. I'm just going to put a little bit of this on there to help them close up fast without any infection." She quickly rubbed some cool cream of sorts onto Duo's hands and then wrapped them with two long, thing pieces of cloth. "Don't be doing anything like that for awhile. Do you hear me? And right before Queen Relena is to come too?" She shook her head as though Duo were a lost cause, but her eyes remained soft. "At least I learned that next time you want to do something for me I better give you a job of sorts," she stated. "Now seriously, are you ever going to be getting out of my kitchen. You don't live here, I do. I don't want to see you again unless you're coming in for lunch because I know that you're not going to be getting anything then. I'll have a plate ready for you."  
  
"Thank you Ms. Crawford," Duo stated as he was latterly shoved to the door.  
  
"Not until lunch. You hear me?"  
  
"What about the wood?"  
  
"Don't you dare touch it. I'll have somebody come out and take care of it." She paused for a moment and considered Duo's slightly down ridden face. "Thank you very much. You're a very kind boy Duo."  
  
Prizing her with a lopsided smile, Duo waved and turned around, heading towards the training area.   
  
"You might want to get a shirt deary!" Ms. Crawford shouted from the kitchen door and then disappeared.  
  
Duo suddenly remembered that he didn't have his shirt on. Groaning at the thought of how much trouble he was going to get into, Duo tromped back into the castle and head to Heero's room. Once he got there he grabbed another pair of clothes and then made his way back to the baths. 'I have never taken this many baths before in such a short time,' Duo thought. 'I think that I'm addicted to them now.' He smiled and entered the area, quickly slipping out of his outfit and lowering himself into the steaming water, making sure not to get his bandages wet.   
  
Leaning his head back against the cold tile floor, Duo closed his eyes and let himself fully relax in the water. It wasn't as nice as having Heero behind him, massaging shampoo into his hair, but it was still better than anything that he was use to. The teen sighed, opening his eyes and looking around the empty bathing house. He shouldn't stay for too long. He just needed to get the sweat off of his body from chopping wood. 'It's so warm though.' Shaking his head, Duo forced himself out of the water. He had a full day in which he had been given the rein to freely wander around the castle's grounds. As much as he loved the baths he wasn't going to drown his chances at seeing everything. 'Or maybe just another spar.'  
  
Hurriedly he dried himself off and slipped into his new clothes. 'I wonder what Heero's gonna do with me if I have to wear two pairs of everything every day,' he wondered, chuckling at the thought. 'And if I spar then I'm going to need another.' Shrugging without much difference, Duo bounded out of the bath house, leaving his clothes in the same basket Heero had left them in the last time they had been there.  
  
Once he was out and walking down the passageways, Duo had taken one look at his bandaged hands, and the small pink blossoms of blood that were starting to show through and decided that he wasn't going to go to the training grounds. 'Heero'd really kill me then. Don't want to make it so I can do anything.' Letting his feet take him wherever, Duo eventually looked up to find himself in the garden that the four of them had gone to the other day. 


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Note: Sorry that this chapter isn't very long. Last week (01/21/02) had been finals week and I had a lot of time to write. Now school's back and with a bang. All my classes are going harder and faster (strictly academically speaking) and I'm also starting track and field. Thanks a bunch!  
  
Chapter 16 -   
  
"What do you think will happen when you decline Relena's offer?"  
  
"I don't know if I'll decline," Heero state and the others looked up at him in obvious shock. "It depends on what she proposes."  
  
"You don't think that she will be asking you to marry her one more time with the threat of war?" Quatre wondered.  
  
Heero shook his head almost unnoticeably. "That is what I am expecting. It does not mean that is what is going to happen though. I have to keep my mind open."  
  
Quatre nodded in agreement as well as Wufei and Trowa. "Why do you think she wants Trowa and I here?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I think we all need to stay alert though." The dark-haired boy then turned to Wufei. "I'll need you to double check your protection spells. Don't tier yourself out though, incase there's some kind of trouble."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I've also heard rumors about her bodyguard being a Hunter."  
  
Wufei's head snapped up and Quatre's jaw dropped slightly, Trowa raised an eyebrow in spectacle. "Are you serious?" The small blond asked, still in a state of shock.   
  
"Yes, but they're only rumors. If it true and Hunters are living in Sanq though, I would not doubt Relena having her power and influence to get her one as a bodyguard. I do not underestimate any of Relena's capabilities," Heero informed. He himself had been disturbed by the rumor when it had reached his ears, fortunately enough only a few people who he knew well had heard of it. The information was dangerous, if the rumor leaked out into the streets of Prydain then there would be no possible way to stop war, even if things did settle down with Relena.  
  
"But to have a Hunter? Do you think that she'll actually bring her bodyguard here when she visits? She must know that Prydain is mostly Vampires by now," Quatre commented.  
  
"That would be the exact reason that she would bring a Hunter," Trowa stated from his seat beside Quatre. "It would prove that she had connections with them and that they were willingly under her rule, or that they at least had an alliance. A greater threat if war were to break out."  
  
Heero nodded and mentally sighed. Things were getting worse by the day. What had started out as what seemed to be a small inconvenience was now evolving into something much more than any of them had ever expected. Obviously Relena had made plans according to their marriage and when Heero had stated that he would not follow through with it she was willing to do anything to see it through that she had partial or full control over his kingdom. "I have no doubt that she will bring the Hunter. That means though that we need a couple of more spells Wufei. Just to make sure to protect against any small things that the Hunter would be able to do."  
  
The black-haired teen signaled that he knew what to do, then answered Heero's next question. "It's not going to be hard."  
  
"I don't think that there is anything else to go over. We aren't sure of anything until she arrives. If appropriate I'll invite you to the library as well after dinner Quatre. I don't know what she'll want to do, it might be that she wants to have a personal conversation. Right now all we have to go by is rumors and previous events." Heero repressed a sigh. They had been in the library for maybe three and a half hours discussing the events which war would lead to if it so came to it. 'And it looks like it most likely will,' he thought.   
  
"What about Duo?" Quatre wondered. The room sat silently. "I mean, he's an influential person to say the least. I don't want to hurt him or use him in all of this."  
  
Wufei was the first to respond to the smaller boy's statement. "I don't think that any of us want to hurt him. I suggest though, that in the case of war, Heero bring out all of the facts and speak to him straight," he informed, eyeing the cobalt-eyed prince. "He would be a strong ally on our behalf but he does not seem to know the extent of him own power, much less how to control it."  
  
"Wufei is right. Duo would be a good ally to have due to his power. Though he would have to get training of some kind. Most likely from you Wufei, correct?" The prince asked, looking at the sorcerer who shrugged and nodded simultaneously.   
  
"There is the part about his Master though," the black-haired teen brought up. "We do not have any control over him if we don't find his Master. Even if war does not precede this meeting with Relena, we should still find the person who has the power to control him."  
  
Heero stiffened at the mention of Duo's Master, and an unfamiliar feeling twisted in the pit of his stomach. Anger towards the person who had control over the braided beauty. The boy whom he had fallen in love with and had taken.  
  
Shifting nervously, Quatre spoke before Heero could say anything. "But we don't have any clues as to who the person is, or even what kingdom we can find the person in."  
  
"We could ask him about it directly," Wufei suggested.  
  
"It is most likely that he is not going to want us to find out who his Master is," Heero informed, though the statement had been obvious to all of them. "I refuse to physically force the answer from him." His voice was flat and cold, giving no room for disagreement.  
  
"I won't search his mind," Quatre stated, his voice a softer version of Heero's. "He's my friend and he trusts me. Besides, he already knows little enough to block his mind from intruders. Rather painfully," the blond added at the end, remembering the first time he had tried to touch Duo's mind to calm him down and the piercing sting his mind had received in the process.   
  
The room was silent, each contemplating their own thoughts until finally Heero spoke once again. "I will bring up the subject with him sometime soon. Don't rely too much on my being able to get any information from him." The dark-haired boy smirked to some extent as his mind processed the different ways that he could try to extricate the information from the boy. 'Definitely not painful,' he thought humorously. 'Anything but.'  
  
"Are you going to be taking Duo to dinner tonight?" Quatre questioned after a few minutes of silence had passed.   
  
Heero hesitated in answering. He had just lightly touched on the subject and still didn't quite know yet. "Yes. Out of formality I should."   
  
Quatre smiled a bit at the answer. "I'm sure that he's going to be over joyied with the answer," he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "We all know how much Duo loves to sit down in one place for long periods of time."  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Wufei's eyes scanned the other three boys in front of him. "What don't I know about him?" He asked.   
  
The blond prince's smile broadened. "You'd love him Wufei." Heero snorted lightly at the comment. "He's a tad hyper active, and for some reason I don't think that we've gotten a real taste of him."  
  
Again the cobalt-eyed teen smirked. 'Oh, I've gotten more than just a taste of him. And he is more active than what how he's been acting around us,' he thought, chuckling silently. Heero Yuy was not one to chuckle, even mentally. 'Of course, Duo's a little bit more vocal than I am.' The prince moved in his chair somewhat as he realized that he was starting to get aroused by the images that were running through his mind.  
  
"What's the matter with you Heero?" Wufei asked, his voice rough.  
  
"Hn," the stoic teen grunted, not bothering to answer his friend. It wasn't like he usually answered them when they asked him questions anyway, so they were all use to it.  
  
Quatre still had a grin on his face which widened as he thought of something. "Shouldn't we find Duo and teach him formal table...uh...floor manners?" He wondered, having completely ignored Wufei's statement.  
  
Heero shrugged. "At lunch."  
  
"But he's still wandering around by himself. Are you sure you're actually okay with that?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"It's Duo," Trowa stated, intending the comment to be taken in more than one way.  
  
- - - - -   
  
Duo looked around the colorful garden, all he could see was flowers and plants, no guards. Smiling pleasurably he started to walk along the path slowly, taking his time to stop and smell the plants that he had never seen before. It was amazing to see what seemed to be everything flower there in the castle walls when he hadn't seen any of them when he had lived all of his life outside. 'Of course I just lived in the city. Not much room for plant life there,' he thought absently.  
  
Gazing over the flowers, Duo's eye caught a particular bush that he recognized to some extent. It was a rose bush with dark purple, almost black, roses growing on it. He took his time walking over to the area, but kept his eye on it. Roses were his favorite flower. 'And to think that they come in black too. A perfect match,' he commented to himself as he arrived by the bush. Bending down slightly, Duo pressed his nose into the petals and took a deep breath. The aroma was almost intoxicating and he breathed in the sweet, fresh fragrance once again. He would definitely have to ask Heero if they could have some of those in there room.   
  
'Speaking of Heero...' Duo grinned as he remembered the night before. 'Talk about bliss.' Glancing around the garden really quickly, the braided boy reached down and with a flick of his wrist broke one of the blossoms off. 'It's not like anybodies going to miss it. Besides, it goes with my outfit and Heero'll probably like it. I wonder how much,' he thought as his grin widened. Quickly he reached behind his head and placed the rose in his braid, surprisingly the thorns didn't hinder the project. When he brought his hands down he again scanned the garden for other inhabitants, and upon seeing that he was alone, bounced down the path as he tried to think about where he was going to go next.  
  
"Duo!"  
  
The violet-eyed boy immediately turned in the direction of the voice and smiled as Heero, Quatre, and Trowa approached him and he was reminded that there was a forth. 'The sorcerer.' "Where's that guy that I haven't met, Wufei?" Duo asked as he bounded towards the small group. "I've met him what...once in the halls when he was talking to Heero? Why don't I get to see him any more?"   
  
"Oh, well, he's busy working."  
  
Duo groaned and rolled his eyes as he fell into place beside Trowa behind the other two. "On what? Getting the castle ready with spells in preparation for the b-uh...Queen Relena?" He wondered, barely cutting himself off from calling the girl something else. When he thought of her, a cold chill ran up his back and he shuddered, almost unnoticeably.   
  
"You okay Duo?" Heero asked at the same time Quatre answered, "Yes, pretty much."  
  
Slapping a grin back on to his face, Duo nodded. "Yeah, I'm feelin' fine, and then...uh...well...okay, to Quatre," he laughed silently. "So, what is he gettin' set up? Or is it all a secret?"   
  
"Just some normal check ups and stuff."  
  
"Ahh, playing Doctor is he now? So, what are we all gonna be doin'?"  
  
"You're going to dinner tonight Duo," Heero stated.  
  
The braided youth's step faltered at the statement. 'Dinner with Queen Relena? In the same room. But, then she'll know I'm here and she'll try to kill me again. Oh my God. I have to get out of this somehow. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. I don't want her to see me.'  
  
//Blue eyes seemed to pierce the very depths of his body, sending lightning chills up his spine and leaving him weak. And with this he understood. This lady before him, Queen Relena, already knew who he was. More importantly, she knew what he was.  
  
Fear gripped Duo, refusing to let him look away from her. It froze him in place until he was suddenly jarred by one of the guards pulling him away. One of the soldiers had disappeared and the other had a rope in his fist as he dragged Duo down to the stables like a dog.//  
  
"Duo?"  
  
'What if she sees me? She'll tell them to kill me. I'll get sent out to the forest again.'  
  
//"You son of a bitch! You killed my friend back there and now you're gonna pay for it!"//  
  
"Duo?"  
  
The teen was knocked from his reverie when he was lightly shaken. Blinking a couple of times as though he were just waking up and didn't know where he was, he found himself staring straight into Heero's deep cobalt eyes.   
  
//"Nothing's going to happen to you. You're safe.//  
  
Duo immediately relax as he lost himself in the prince's eyes. 'I'm safe. Nothing's gonna happen.'  
  
"Duo? Are you okay?" Heero asked, his voice was softer than usual with an underlying hint of concern.   
  
A grin surfaced from nowhere and Duo silently thanked his years of training to cover up his real self on the streets. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just kinda surprised at going to dinner. That's all," he stated, his voice normal, not giving any clue to the panic attack that had nearly surfaced. 'I'm relying too much on luck.'  
  
Heero eyes narrowed a little bit as he continued to stare at Duo for a couple minutes before nodding and letting go of the braided boy's shoulders. "You're sure?"  
  
"Of course. Nothing's the matter." The lie flowed off Duo's tongue so easily that he could almost believe it himself. 'I tell so many lies now it's amazing I use to say I didn't. -I run and hid but never lie- Man, that use to be me in a nutshell. Still is I guess...just a different nutshell that is.' He continued to smile. "So, is there anything that I need to know about before the big dinner?"  
  
TBC 


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Notes: Sorry it took so long for me to get this up. I'm in school though, what can I say?  
  
Warning: yaoi: 1x2, 2x2  
  
Chapter 17 -   
  
"What happened to you hands?" Trowa asked Duo from beside the braided boy as the group of four made their roundabout way to the castle.  
  
Duo sighed and grinned quickly afterwards. "I was hopping y'all wouldn't notice them," he stated as he started to tear the bandages away. It would not be good to have Heero see them, and then he'd have to go into explaining and Ms. Crawford might get into trouble as a result and it would be all his fault for letting Heero know about it in the first place. And then he'd getting into trouble as well and he was already screwed over as it all stood right then anyway, and he definitely didn't need any more to add to his plate at the moment.  
  
"What are you doing?" Heero asked as he started to turn around to face Duo and the noise that the teen was making by taking the strands of cloth off.  
  
Hurriedly the violet-eyed boy tried to put his hands behind his back, but Heero had already caught them in his own and was inspecting them. "It-it's nothing really," Duo stammer, unsuccessfully trying to pull his hands away.  
  
Slowly the prince unwrapped the bandage around Duo's right hand, the one the teen had already started to take of by himself. "What happened?" Heero asked coldly as the bare palm was relieved, open blisters covering it, tough they were not nearly as bad as they had been in the very beginning. The bleeding had stopped for starters.   
  
"Nothing really, no big deal or anything like that."  
  
"Duo, the youth stated flatly as he stared at the violet-eyed boy straight on. "Tell me now."  
  
Duo couldn't stop himself as he started to explain. "I went to the kitchen after you left the dining area to get something real to eat cause I was hungry. Ms. Crawford was really nice and got me this plateful of stuff and told me to eat all of it cause she though that I was too thin. So I went outside and sat on a barrel and ate there until I was finished and went into the kitchen again to drop my dirty dishes off, but I really wanted to thank Ms. Crawford and went over to her to ask if I could do anything for her to help with everything, and while I was there I heard somebody say that they'd need more wood soon, and right then Ms. Crawford was telling me that everything was fine and that I should do anything cause I'm a personal slave to the prince and all of that." Here Duo took a quick breath before continuing.   
  
"So when I went outside I saw a huge stack of wood and an axe beside it and decided that I could cut it and it would be a nice surprise to Ms. Crawford. So I spent the time and cut it and then took a pile into the kitchen to show Ms. Crawford who totally freak out and gave me the bandages and some cream stuff to make sure that it would all heal faster and nicely and stuff," he explained, then took a deep breath.  
  
Heero looked at him with a calculating eye.  
  
"It wasn't Ms. Crawford's fault!" The braided boy exclaimed. "I swear it! I was all me and she really didn't want me to-" Heero suddenly clamped a hand over Duo's mouth.  
  
"Don't worry about her. Did you cut the entire pile of wood?" He asked.  
  
Duo nodded, the hand still over his mouth.  
  
"Why didn't you use gloves Duo?" The prince wondered, carefully taking his hand from the other boy's mouth.  
  
"Because there were any there. But I used my shirt instead." After he said the last sentence he winced. A slave's shirt wasn't supposed to be used as gloves.  
  
Heero nodded, still no expression on his face, frightening Duo a little. "I'll take you to Sally."  
  
"But I don't need to see Sally, I'm-" the hand was over his mouth once again in a split second.  
  
"Don't talk back to me," Heero hissed under his breath as a guard appeared in the corner of Duo's vision. The teen nodded, his eyes focused on the guard as he tried to see if the man had noticed anything odd. "You're going to see Sally," the prince stated, there was no room for questions.  
  
Another nod and the hand was taken away.  
  
Heero eyed Duo's hands once more before turning around and walking briskly towards the closest castle entrance. "Quatre, why don't you and Trowa occupy yourselves until lunch? It's not going to be too long until the meal is served and I don't know how long Duo will take with Sally."  
  
The blond nodded. "Of course Heero, don't worry about us." He smiled. "We know this place by hear. We'll find something to do."  
  
Duo could barely withhold a snicker. 'Sure Quatre. Just something to do. Maybe some exercise of some sort?'  
  
"By Duo. Hope your hands get better soon, and good luck with Sally!" Quatre said cheerfully as him and Trowa started to separate from Heero and Duo.  
  
"Yeah Yeah. You sound like she's such a wonderful and fabulous person. The confidence of me coming back alive seems so apparently high with that statement," the braided teen stated.   
  
The blond's smile grew. "Don't be such a wimp Duo. She's just a doctor," he laughed.   
  
"Sure. That's what she wants you all to think. Really she has some grudge against me and next thing you know I'll wind up dead. And my spirit will be looking down at you all and I'll be clucking my tongue at you saying, 'Quatre my dear friend. Didn't I warn you? Didn't I tell you that it was a bad thing to go to the doctor's. But no, you all had to have it your way.' Yes, that's how it's going to work out. And who will be laughing at the end but me!"  
  
"But you'll be dead Duo," Quatre pointed out, still grinning, his sea green eyes shimmering.  
  
Nodding, the violet-eyed boy continued. "But, I will have been right about this entire thing. And despite my being dead, which is merely a minor factor in all of this, I will still be laughing at you for having thought that a visit to the doctor's office was harmless." He paused. "On the other hand-Eh? What 'cha doin' He-Master?" Duo asked, stumbling over the names in which he should call Heero at that exact moment. The guard may have gotten closer and maybe could hear them by now. He wouldn't want to be making mistakes on everything while anybody was listening.   
  
"It's time to go," the prince stated as he hauled Duo away by the end of his braid that he had twisted around his fist.   
  
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Bye Q! Ow! Eep!" Duo exclaimed as he nearly tripped on a rock, barely keeping himself from falling on his but to the ground. Quickly he scrambled and gained his footing once again, putting some slack on his poor and abused hair, still not quite able to walk facing forward and had to walk strangely sideways until Heero let go of his braid. "Heero! That really hurt!" The boy exclaimed, not sensing or seeing anyone near by.   
  
"Baka. You have a lot to learn."   
  
- - - - -   
  
Heero stepped into the grand dinning hall and Duo was just two steps behind him who was not dressed much differently than his normal clothes, standard black with dark forest green and silver lining with his silver slave's necklace, bracelets, anklets, and upper arm band, along with some silver strands that spiraled around the edges of his ears in what seemed like complicated patterns. The room was immediately filled with whispers passing from person to person as all eyes finally settled on the prince and his new slave.  
  
He hated the feeling of so many strange eyes on him. Much less many eyes whom he could not sense the owners of. The most particular thing was that he could feel, from a couple of tables away, Queen Relena's shocked gaze on him which had almost instantly turned into pure hatred. Walking forward, Heero took his seat and Duo immediately sunk down to his pillow, feeling sick. It was something to do with the person, or thing, that he sensed near the Queen. He couldn't place anything to it though, not like a blankness of life like vampires, but a twisted form of life. Something that caused his mind to warp as he felt it. His stomach cramped and he started to feel weak. Now he knew what had caused the wrong feeling when he had first seen the Queen in her office-like quarters.   
  
Trying as hard as he could, Duo built a semi mental wall in attempt to keep the awful twisted feeling from his mind. Though he could still tell that the person was there, the feeling was not nearly as strong as it had been, he slowly started to feel better and tuned into what was happening around him. It would do no good to blow everything now. Not at such an important time for Heero.  
  
"Queen Relena," the cobalt-eyed boy stated as he rose his glass. "It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Prydain Kingdom. Let peace come to both of our kingdoms." He finished with raising the glass slightly higher before taking a short sip and placing it lightly back on the table. There was a light applause and then Heero lifted his glass once more. "Let us eat." There were murmurs of agreement as all of the guests happily complied and started their meals.   
  
Duo had to suppress a sigh, despite the fact that his body was so tense that he was sitting as stiff as a rock. 'If the whole dinner is like this I'm going to die of boredom before Queen Relena can even get close to me,' he thought as his eyes searched his low level view of things for the teenage girl's whereabouts. He hadn't been able to know the exact location and didn't want to try to tune into her senses because of the overwhelming hate and loathing which he would find there, but also because of the tormented space that was so close to her. 'How can she stand being by it? Doesn't she feel it? Don't they all?' He wondered, his eyes glancing up at Heero who was wearing his normal stoic look on his face. 'Maybe it's just me. But Heero's good at hiding anything.'  
  
Again the braided boy looked around. Though he was unable to spot Queen Relena, his eye did catch Quatre's and Trowa's legs. They were the ones sitting to Heero's right. To the prince's left sat the teen who Duo had seen only twice before, Wufei. He watched transfixed and a little bit frightened by the white mist that ran lazily from the black-haired boy. It didn't have any intention that to go along aimlessly. Sorceress were always surrounded by different colors of light mist Duo had found out. It was something about their magic and how the mist was an ever present warning to others who could see it to stay back. 'Others meaning other magical creatures.' The sight still unnerved Duo because it always looked to him as though it were coming towards him and that it once it got to its destination it would simply wrap itself around his body and choke him to death. 'If not do something worse.'  
  
Indeed the white mystic fog was creeping its way toward the long-haired boy who had not taken his eyes off of it. He could sense it vividly, a mass of pulsing energy, magic and life combined. It was as though Wufei were directing it in Duo's direction simply to tantalize and torture the slave. 'And its goddamn working,' Duo thought as he felt a pang in his stomach that spread throughout his body and attacked his senses, magnifying them so that he could sense every single person in the room, whether they were human or not. His small and clumsy wall fell away as though it were nothing and he was thunderstruck by the distorted space not far from him.  
  
But as the white fog came closer the less the mangled area bothered him, as did everything else seem to fade away as he became solely focused on the energy that was coming toward him. 'Gods I need it. Just a small taste. Just to touch it,' he told himself as the teen reached out and thrust his hand into the middle of the cloud that was now no more than a foot and a half away from him.   
  
As soon as his fingers had touched the mist he could feel himself start to absorb the energy and slowly his senses started to turn back to normal and the pain receded. It was so sweet to the touch and nothing like Duo had ever sensed before in his life. He started to almost desperately pull at the energy, never being able to get enough of it. His hand had only been in the haze for a minute or so when suddenly and invisible force shoved his hand away and it retreated quickly, curling back towards Wufei and staying within a couple inches of him. Having been un-expectantly thrown from the life source caused Duo to get a minor headache. He lost his perspective shortly and put the heal of his hand against his temple while blinking rapidly to try to get everything back into focus. 'Shit, no wonder I shouldn't be goin' around sorcerers. That's addictive. I'll have to apologize later to him.'  
  
A hand popping down with an apple slice between two fingers made Duo throw away his thoughts for the moment. 'I swear, every meal starts out with an apple,' the braided teen thought as he carefully took the piece and started to eat it. 'Not that I mind at all.' A dull ache in his stomach and the slight heightening of his senses were the only symptoms that caused Duo to stay aware of his need for another energy source of some kind. A serving man came by and stopped by Heero to refill his glass. Duo carefully reached his hand out and hovered his hand just by the man's bare ankles. He had never actually taken energy purposefully without touch somebody. 'I've never taken a life purposefully even while touching,' he reminded himself. 'Now I just need to take a little sliver.'   
  
Keeping his eyes on the man's face above him to make sure not to kill him or pass out on the floor, Duo let himself absorb some of the man's life. The man only stood by Heero long enough to refill the glass and then started to walk away, forcing the violet-eyed boy to pull away in more ways than physically. He had never actually taken life when thinking about it. 'If you don't count the time with the maid and the guard. That really wasn't me. I was just in a frenzy.' The soul hunger edged off a little bit more but was still present. 'I just need to take a sliver from everybody. And Gods hope I don't lose control. I have to let myself relax a little bit. Nothing bad is gonna happen to me cause the Queen won't try anything in such a populated area.'   
  
Heero's hand came down again, this time a dripping slice of cantaloupe between his fingers. Duo grinned. 'Yeah. I just need to relax and enjoy myself here. Besides, Heero'll protect me.' As he leaned forward to take the fruit segment the dagger hidden in the folds of his black pants pressed against his leg. 'And I can take protect myself as well.' Duo smiled a little bit more and took the cantaloupe between his teeth, quickly swallowing it and then took each of Heero's fingers in his mouth one by one, licking the cantaloupe juice from them slowly. The prince started to pull his hand away a little bit but Duo bit down lightly at the end of his middle finger, holding it in place.   
  
When he was sure that the cobalt-eyed teen wasn't going to pull it away again he started to make a trail to the center of Heero's palm with his tongue and then slowing up the wrist and back down again. His eyes traveled up what part of the prince's body he could see and saw that he was tensing, and shifting in his chair slightly. 'Oh man, I'm gonna be getting in trouble for this one,' he thought momentarily before turning his attention back to finishing his job. Shortly he sucked on the index finger and then pulled away, planting a light kiss in the center of the hand and then sitting back once again as though he had done nothing more than take the bit of fruit.   
  
It was about a ten minute wait for Duo after the cantaloupe until Heero let his hand drop again, just holding a small chunk of bread. 'Oh. Well, I might not want to do that again or else I'll be in real trouble,' the braided boy thought mischievously as he took the bread and ate it necessarily quickly as he scooted up a few inches. His hand was starting to sneak its way up when Heero suddenly snatched it in mid air. Duo's eyes widened in surprise and he looked up at the prince who was still looking straight ahead as though nothing were happening. Heero gave the braided boy's hand a tight squeeze and a shake and then let go of it. Pouting, Duo scooted back to where he had been before and crossed his arms over his chest.   
  
Finally, giving up on pouting, the violet-eyed youth forced himself to relax and then lounged back on his pad.   
  
"Have you talked to her at all Heero?"  
  
The prince grunted softly. "No."  
  
"Why is she staring at us?" Quatre wondered.  
  
Again Heero grunted. "Can you find out Quatre?" He asked the blond to his right.  
  
There was a short pause and Duo sat up a little bit more to make sure that he heard the answer. "You know I don't like doing that Heero. Even at times like this."  
  
"Quatre. If we get caught up in war you are going to have to be able to take advantage of your power."  
  
Another moment of silence passed. "I know. It's just that I...don't think that it's right intruding on people's thoughts. It's so personal."  
  
"You may have to use it on me one day," Heero informed. Duo's head snapped up at the statement and saw that the prince was completely serious.  
  
"You're not serious Heero," the blond gasped. Obviously he was as shocked as Duo was.  
  
Heero grunted and nodded. "If our kingdoms go against each other in this war you may have to use your power to make sure that I'm still an ally. I give you my permission Quatre. In times of war, there are more important things that people's privacy."  
  
The chestnut-haired teen looked over at Quatre who sat not but a foot or so away from him. "You are right Heero. But as of this moment we are not in war and I do not want to intrude on her mind. Besides, if she feels me trying to get information from her then it will just heighten the risk of war which is something that neither of us want to happen at the moment. Correct?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
Silence settled over them as another servant came by to refill glasses. Feeling the pulsing life source standing not but two inches from him, Duo once again reached out, his hand hovering just away from the man's bare ankle like before and started to take in the energy. With some effort, the teen was able to cut off the connection even before the man walked away. 'Now I feel better,' he thought and went back to lounging and listening. Maybe if Duo told the others that he was starting to control his power then they wouldn't want to know who his Master was. 'That's too much to hope for, especially now with war nearly already here.'  
  
The conversation from before had been dropped, most likely due to Heero sensing that Duo was eves dropping. Once again, the youth closed his ears to whatever Heero, Quatre, Wufei, and Trowa would talk about and started to listen on other people's conversations. He already knew that he had exceptional hearing due to the fact of what he was, but he had never actually put it to use other than telling what side of the kiosks that the merchants were at so he could steal from the other side.   
  
"Did you see the prince's new slave?"  
  
"I thought he was against slavery though. That doesn't seem right that he can have one while he rest of us are being told to stop."  
  
"It was a beauty though."  
  
"Oh, I won't disagree with you on that one. I wonder where he got it."  
  
"Probably some foreign place. Unless Queen Relena gave it to him as a gift."  
  
"No, I've been hearing-"  
  
Duo shook his had and blocked out the voices. Didn't people have more to do then gossip about him. 'Besides, I'm trying to dig the stuff out on Queen Relena,' he thought as he searched the room over again for a different conversation.  
  
"And I'm sure that Prince Heero must be choosing his bride soon. He is around that age by now."  
  
"Yes, very true. I wonder how the events will be now. With his father and mother not being alive, how do you think that it will be set up?"  
  
"I'm sure that his advisor will help him with the plans."  
  
"It's amazing how they are all so young. Even his advisor."  
  
"True. But Prince Heero has the heart and mind of a king. He may look like a child but is anything but. And as for his advisor, it is said that sorcerers have wisdom many times beyond their years. I would have no man except for Prince Heero leading this kingdom."  
  
"It's amazing how much has changed since he has become the ruler. His father was rather ruthless when it came to battle involving other men's lives, but he was also very soft."  
  
"You can say that one again. Queen Relena's parents use to walk all over him."  
  
"I wonder if Prince Heero is engaged to her? Is that why she's arrived?"  
  
"I hope not. That would mean then end of all of us. You know how much Queen Relena holds against us Vampires."  
  
"It's because of her dream of having total peace. She thinks that we're all bloodthirsty killers."  
  
"That girl has a thing or two to learn about the world around her. I'd say humans were the most violent race out of all of us. Killing their own kind all of the time. And all they ever want is power and money. They're all so greedy."  
  
"Completely true speaking there. Not to mention how they think that they're so much better than all of us because they can survive being stabbed in the arm with a wooden stake."  
  
"They're just different. They don't have the same blood as us and they need to learn that. It's not who's superior or anything. They have their weaknesses as well."  
  
"Give me a sword and I'd show them what weakness is."  
  
"Keep it down. We can't have Queen Relena hearing us talk like this. As I said, she already thinks that we're terrible killers."  
  
Duo tuned out. The conversation was interesting enough and gave him an experience at how Heero was right about the tension growing between the races. But there wasn't anything about the conflicts between the two kingdoms other than the part about their parents. He just needed to hit on a conversation that was far enough away from Heero and Queen Relena that people weren't afraid of speaking their minds with others and talking about the conflicts.  
  
"-so suddenly. Do you think that something's the matter?"  
  
"I don't think so. Prydain Kingdom and Sanq Kingdom have seemed to be on pretty good grounds with each other. There have never been disputes before."  
  
"Or at least no big ones."  
  
"True, their parents sometimes did get into nasty arguments."  
  
"Nobody actually knows that for sure. It's all just rumors."  
  
"Everything is just rumors. Have you heard that one about Prince Heero's new slave trying to escape from the castle? I also heard that it was Prince Quatre's bodyguard who caught him and lead him through the streets by a collar back to the castle."  
  
"Oh my yes! My servant who was running out to get some things of mine told me that she saw it."  
  
"Do tell please."  
  
"Well, he was in chains and the collar-"  
  
Duo cut out of the conversation quickly, not wanting to remember the day that he had been turned from freeman to slave. The beginning had been exactly what he had wanted, information on the two kingdoms. 'Why do these rich snobs always have to change their conversations so quickly?' He sighed and gave up on his search. It wasn't likely that anybody knew enough about the two kingdoms to know about their differences and conflicts that they may be having.  
  
The braided boy groaned. Why did this all have to be so boring? He sighed and rested his head on Heero's lap. Why had he been forced to go to this stupid thing in the first place. The prince's hand reached down and rested on Duo's braid at the base of his neck. Duo relaxed a little bit more. His lover's hand slipped under his braid and started to stroke the violet-eyed boy's neck lightly. Fingers slowly dropped under the rim of Duo's shirt and glided along his spine. The youth closed his eyes and started to purr softly. It wouldn't be so bad if he could just spend the rest of dinner sitting just like he was then.   
  
Heero's hand slid back up his spine and then over Duo's shoulder, making his way down the teen's chest. The violet-eyed boy turned his head a little bit and stretched so that Heero had better access to his body. He moaned as the hand moved smoothly over his chest. Un-expectantly, Heero's hand danced across one of Duo's nipples and his eyes opened as he barely suppressed a gasp. Duo moved again and licked a short trail along Heero's arm, grinning as the drone of the prince's voice hesitated slightly before continuing. The braided teen rested his head on Heero's thigh again as he gave up trying to tease back and let the other boy do what he wanted to.  
  
Duo didn't know how much time passed with Heero running his hand over his chest and back, but he did know that with the time that the prince had been doing so, he was now hard and would bet anything that his lover was as well. He grinned as he let himself finally snake his hand up Heero's leg, along the inside of the other's thigh and stop just an inch away from the prince's lap. The violet-eyed boy could definitly tell that the teen he was leaning against was definitely hard. Teasingly he lightly tapped his fingers against the inside of Heero's leg and moved them in random patterns, keeping just out of the ultimate goal.   
  
The prince shifted as he tried to get Duo to touch him and then finally grabbed Duo's wrist, guiding it to where he wanted. Willingly the braided boy complied and, with one hand, undid Heero's belt and pants. Looking around to make sure that nobody was watching, he slid under the table cloth. The table was about four feet wide which gave Duo plenty of room to settle himself in front of an un-expecting Heero, unseen by anybody. He looked at the prince's weeping member and grinned once again. Oh, this was going to definitely be fun. There was no doubt about that. He paused for a moment before leaning forward and suddenly swallowing Heero whole.   
  
"We're going to have to be-" Heero cut off from his sentence and suddenly gasped. "Kuso," he groaned.  
  
"Heero? Are you alright Heero?" Quatre asked.  
  
"F-fine," the prince stammered.  
  
Duo grinned around his prize as he heard the point of interruption in the conversation. He started to twirl his tongue around Heero's member, sucking hard as he pulled slowly away, until only the tip way in his mouth before rushing down and engulfing Heero once again. Out of the corner of his eye he could see one of Heero's hands clenching the edge of the table while the other one came down and wrapped itself in Duo's hair tightly. He started to hum soft and tunelessly, so that nobody could hear, but the results were still astounding. Heero's hand in his hair tightened as the prince urged Duo to do something more.  
  
Pulling all of the way away, Duo looked down and blew on the tip of his lover's erecting before swallowing again. The suddenness from cold to warmth and the mixture of the humming and random sweeps of Duo's tongue made Heero crash over the edge as he came in Duo's mouth. The violet-eyed teen happily swallowed the essence of his lover and licked up the remains. He then let Heero fix his pants while he crawled back out from under the table and innocently onto his pad, laying his head once again on the cobalt-eyed teen's leg. A satisfied smile played on his lips. The prince's hand once again rested on Duo's braid, though it didn't do anything else, and the teen was reminded of his own hardened member.   
  
Duo's hand slid down and disappeared in his own pants as he closed his fingers around his erecting and stroked himself. He moaned silently and behind his closed eyes pictured Heero sitting naked instead of fully clothed. The violet-eyed boy pumped himself slowly at first, though the paced hurriedly became faster. Heero, having probably sensed what Duo was doing, had started rubbing his body once again. The prince took on of Duo's nipples in-between his index finger and thumb and twisted it lightly. That was all that it took for Duo to cum. Heero had already placed two fingers in the braided boy's mouth though to keep him from shouting or groaning too loudly.  
  
The boy slipped his hand from his pants and leaned against his lover with liquid limbs. Though he still caught Heero's napkin that he had 'accidentally' dropped. Quickly he cleaned himself up and handed the piece of the cloth back to Heero. Then he closed his eyes and let himself drift off into a state of half consciousness, not paying attention to the things around him, but not fully asleep.   
  
It didn't seem like long after that Heero jarred him softly into the fully conscious world and stood up as he bid his guests a goodnight. The masses of people were all filing out at different paces and Heero then slid his chair back in and indicated for Duo to rise which he did, though rather stiffly of sorts after having spent hours sitting on the ground.   
  
"I am going to speak to Queen Relena," he explained quickly. "At the moment Quatre and Wufei are coming along with me though I do not know if she will let them stay. I know that she would not allow Trowa to be present, so he is going to walk you back to the room or you two can go to the baths. Don't wait up for me," the prince stated.   
  
Duo nodded. He didn't like the feeling he was getting from thinking about Heero meeting with Relena, but there wasn't anything that he could do at the moment about it. Now that he was actually thinking about the girl and sensed her somewhere in the crowd, he could not feel the twisted space that had been near her all night at dinner. "Master?" Duo asked, noticing all of the people who were still around.  
  
The cobalt-eyed boy raised an eyebrow.   
  
"Just be careful. I don't like her bodyguard. She's not normal," Duo warned. "I could feel her...him...it during dinner and I can just tell. It's like...it's like..."  
  
Heero's lips twitched upwards. "Don't worry about it Duo. I'll be fine. Wufei and Quatre will both be with me. And you're with Trowa. Don't worry about anything."  
  
Again the youth nodded, though he still wasn't fully convinced. "Oh, Wufei, that reminds me."  
  
"Hn?"  
  
"I have to apologize to him."  
  
Another strange look.  
  
Duo blushed slightly. "It was just an accident. Where is he?"  
  
"Him and Quatre are waiting for me, Trowa's waiting for you. What did you do Duo?"  
  
"I...I kinda fed off of him," Duo stated. He jumped as Heero's eyes darkened. "Oh no. Not like that. I mean, his magic. I didn't pay attention to what I was doing and I just started to absorb it. He had to actually shove me away from it. Though I don't really blame him for it." The boy looked at his feet as he shuffled them on the ground. "So I kinda took some from the servants who went by."  
  
A hand rested on Duo's shoulder and he mentally winced, expecting a blow of some kind. "You didn't kill anybody, that's a step. Now I have to get going before Relena gets impatient in the library."  
  
"Okay. Bye," Duo smiled and turned around as he made his way to where Trowa was leaning against a pillar waiting for him. 


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Notes: Really sorry about the wait. But school's a uh...hey this fic is NC-17 so...school's a bitch. Truly am sorry though. *ducks behind a truck as a thousand paintball guns are fired at her* I really really REALLY am sorry!!!  
  
Chapter 18 -  
  
When Duo got back up into Heero's room he bid Trowa a good night and then closed the door heavily. He hadn't realized how much had been taken out of him during dinner when he had been blocking out the twisted life force of Queen Relena's bodyguard, or whatever the creature was. And simply that he was jumpy from the fact of seeing the blond-haired Queen once again. He had no doubt that she had recognized him at first glance when him and Heero had first entered the dinning hall.   
  
'Holy shit. What if she tries to kill me again?' He wondered, still leaning heavily back on the thick oak door. 'What if she sends that thing to kill me?' The braided boy's eyes scanned the room as though he were afraid that the thing would jump out from any of the numerous shadows. Then another thought struck him. 'What'll happen if war is declared between the Prydain Kingdom and the Sanq Kingdom? How will I be used? When will Heero force me to talk to him? How long till my Master truly claims me?' The last question made Duo's knees weaken. Once the person who was his Master truly claimed him then he wouldn't have any free will. 'God. And in times of war? I'll be a weapon of mass destruction.'   
  
"Oh God. I didn't want any of this to happen," the teen muttered as he slid down to the floor, his black still pressed up against the hard door. "Why did all of this have to happen to me? Why did I have to get caught!" He shouted as he slammed his fist into the floor, letting the pain distract him for a little bit. He sighed and his hand unclenched, laying palm down on the floor. "What's going to be done with me?...to me? I don't want to kill anymore people." His hand curled back into a fist. "I really don't. I never wanted to kill anybody! So why do I have to fill out this stupid prophecy?"   
  
The teen got up and walked over to the other side of the room, his jaw locked and body tensed. He looked up, out the window and at the midnight blue sky. "Get somebody else to do your fucking dirty work!" He screamed as he fist slammed into the wide stone window sill. Cracks formed from where his fist had landed and after a second dark red liquid started to flow through them. Duo once again slid to the ground, his injured hand laid beside his body limply as the other pressed lightly against the stone in front of him, just a few inches from his forehead which also rested against the cool stone. "Please don't make me do it," he mumbled into the stone. "I don't want to do it."  
  
Duo sat for a long while muttering soft words to himself, his forehead and left hand still against the stone while his bleeding hand laid on the ground. Finally he pushed himself away from the wall and looked over at the bed as fatigue washed over him. Slowly he got up and grabbed a cloth from the small bathroom area that was attached to the room. He grabbed a cloth and lazily wiped the blood from the ground and then went back and washed his bruised and broken hand. He walked back into the bedroom and stripped his clothes, putting them in the basket that the dirty ones were suppose to go into. In a dazed-like stage, Duo looked around for something to sleep in. Finally he gave up and slid on a pair of Heero's tight black shorts and then crawled into bed, completely on automatic mode and not quite paying attention to what he was doing.   
  
When the soft, almost soundless click of the door opening reached the teen's ears he didn't move. He had sensed Heero coming from down the hall and wasn't worried about it being an intruder. "Back so soon?" He wondered, realizing that he had only been in the room for about half an hour to an hour.   
  
Heero didn't say anything for a minute until he closed the door and started to undress. "Are you okay Duo?"   
  
Realizing that his voice was perfectly reflecting the hollowness that he was feeling inside as a result of the exhaustion at the moment, Duo forced himself to add some emotion to it. "Hey, yeah, I'm fine. That didn't seem to take so long."   
  
There was another pause as the prince threw his clothes in the basket and grabbed his usual tight black shorts that he slept in. "Relena would rather talk tomorrow. I assume that it's because of the fact that if I refuse then she can leave immediately," he explained.  
  
Duo sighed in relief. "Good," he muttered and instantly snapped his jaw shut as he closed his eyes tightly. He had just slipped majorly and had no doubt that Heero had caught the statement.  
  
"Hn?"  
  
'Fuck. Shitly fuck. My big mouth.' "Nothing. It's nothing."  
  
"What do you mean by that Duo?"  
  
Groaning, the teen rolled over so that his face was buried in the bed's pillows. Everything was falling apart. How could he have let that slip. If this had all happened when he first arrived at the castle he would still have his mouth shut to even his name. 'God, but when I first arrived here I wasn't in love.' "Ungh."  
  
"Duo," Heero said in a warning voice as he slid his shorts on. "Tell me."  
  
'Damn my mouth. Damn my life. Damn my curse.' "I don't like her," he stated into the pillows, his voice barely coherent.   
  
There was another lapse of silence over which Duo tensed a little bit, almost expecting a blow for not having given a detailed answer. No matter how good the past couple of days had been, the teen still couldn't get over his fear. Heero had so much power over him, and from the way that the long-haired boy had lived his life, he couldn't just give up everything that he had learned, especially from first hand experience. 'Not that he ordered a detailed answer,' he mused. The bed shifted slightly as Heero crawled under the covers beside the braided boy. Duo still kept his head buried.   
  
"I'm not going to hurt you Duo," Heero stated. His voice was soft and he laid a gentle hand on the small of the braided teen's bare back and started to rub small circles. "I swear I won't Duo." His hand glided up the teen's spine and massaged the other boy's slender neck. Duo stretched his neck in order to give Heero more access to him. The prince hesitated for no more than a fraction of a second in his rubbing and then he resumed, though his eyes staid glued to Duo's nearly white neck. "I swear I won't hurt you. But you were rather bad during dinner," Heero stated, his voice low and husky.  
  
The violet-eyed boy had closed his eyes and started to purr at the gentle treatment. "If punishment is like this them I don't know what I'll do." Duo's voice was soft and slow as he slipped farther towards sleep. "But I'm still tiered.  
  
Heero smiled softly as he continued to move his hand in random patterns. It had not gone unnoticed that Duo's right hand was injured and of how tiered Duo looked and felt, thus the massage was planned to relax the other from the obviously stressful night, though the prince was a little confused at how tense Duo seemed. The hand he would remember to bring up tomorrow morning, if it was still hurt that was. "Not to mention that you're wearing a pair of my shorts," he snorted.  
  
All Duo could do was groan in response. All of the tension had left his body and he laid completely limp, now aware of the world or the fact that he was purring rather loudly, his entire being was focused on the boy next to him and the hand on his back. "Ngh...Heero."  
  
"Hn? What Duo?"  
  
The braided boy mumbled something and snuggled closer to the prince, moving his head from the pillow into Heero's chest. The hand remained on his back, moving slowly and methodically. As much as he wanted to, and as hard as he tried to stay awake, Duo drifted constantly further into unconsciousness.  
  
"It's okay Duo. You can go to sleep."  
  
Another soft moan drifted from Duo as he settled, curled against the cobalt-eyed boy, soft snores already reached the prince's ears. Heero once again smile softly, but it didn't last as he remembered that he would have to get up early tomorrow to have his discussion with Relena. Besides, Duo had raised a few questions and Heero had his mind set on finding out their answers. The smirk reappeared as his other arm snaked it's way around the braided boy's bare waist and pulled him closer.   
  
- - - - -   
  
Duo pouted as he entered the training grounds. Trowa had been allowed to go the meeting with Relena because her body guard had been going and other reasons which Duo wasn't quite sure of it. Now that he was actually thinking about it though, he realized that Trowa was allowed to do a lot of special things. Including eating at the table with them during meals, as well as participating in private conversations that were meant for royalty's ears only. And on that part, Heero seemed to talk to Trowa a lot. Quatre as well, but also Trowa, about important things. And it wasn't like Trowa was a General. Much less a General that Heero had control over. The braided boy would bet anything that there was more to the tall boy than met the eyed, or more to the situation than was obvious. 'Take me for an example,' he suggested silently and shrugged. He was definitly not an obvious player in all of this.   
  
"Duo!" A female voice shouted out, knocking the teen from his thoughts.  
  
Looking up, Duo saw Hilde making her way towards him quickly. "Hey Hilde," he said cheerfully, a wide smile in place. "What's up?"  
  
The girl sighed and rolled her eyes. "Nothing much, but kinda a lot. Everything's really boring around here for the most part. They keep up doing tons of drills, most of which are new things. And the drills just keep getting harder. I swear that some guys are ready to drop dead."  
  
'Heero's making sure that they're ready for war,' Duo thought pretty sure of his mental note. "Well, I bet that it's nothing as hard as fighting me," he stated proudly, something true happiness entering his smile. It was rare now. Mostly just times with Heero would Duo actually smile genuenly, or with Quatre. But it wasn't easy to get everything in place around other people. Trowa was quiet and Duo was starting to get use to also being quiet when he was with the taller boy. With Wufei...well, Duo hadn't spent any time with the sorcerer and so he wouldn't know.  
  
Hilde chuckled. "You're full of yourself Duo."  
  
"I may be a slave, but that doesn't mean I'm bowing to everybodies wishes. Only the Prince," he informed. He shifted his feet a little bit. "Eh, Hilde?"  
  
"Yeah Duo? What's the matter?"  
  
Duo looked up and blushed at his nervousness at asking the question. "Nobodies really told me what to call the Prince in public and I'm not around him. Do I just say Master?"  
  
The girl's smile widened. "So nervous over a little question like that?"  
  
"Hey! I've never been a slave before. I may know my way around pretty well, but it's only been about..." Duo trailed off as he thought about exactly how long he had been at the castle. "....five days. So I think that I deserve to have some slack cut for me," the teen protested.  
  
"Yeah. Well, I wouldn't be the best one to ask about that. Soldiers refer to him as Prince Heero or the Prince." Hilde shrugged. "It'd probably be better to ask another slave. It's fine if you call him Prince Heero around me. I won't be telling anybody if you do anything wrong."  
  
Smiling, Duo nodded in agreement. "Uh...shouldn't you being doing drills or something? I mean, you said that you've all been doing them. Or...don't you have training or something of the sort? Aren't you going to get into trouble if you're just standing around here and talking to me?"  
  
Hilde shrugged. "Nope. I finished my turn on things and while the others are working I'm suppose to spar. Well, yeah, okay, I am suppose to spar. But nothing's going to happen to me if I take a brake for a little while. Or, hey, wanna fight again? You were pretty good last time. I just wasn't ready for you to be that strong though."  
  
The braided boy grinned teasingly. "Or so you say. You don't want to let yourself that I'm actually strong enough to go up against you, that you underestimated me," he joked.  
  
"I just wasn't ready. So yeah, I did underestimate what you were going to be like. You really don't look all that strong Duo. I have to say." She poked him playfully in the side. "You're rather skin and bones. Wouldn't you agree?"  
  
"Hey, that's getting' a little bit low there. Even for you Hilde!"  
  
The girl's eyes narrowed, but she was still grinning. "How would you know what's low for me? You seem pretty short."  
  
"Oh, that was mean."  
  
Hilde chuckled and Duo's grin widened. His eyes flickered behind the dark-haired girl to see a man approaching them. Catching the movement, Hilde turned around to face the newcomer. "Hey John. What do you need?"  
  
Duo didn't like the look that John was giving him. Obviously it was the man that Duo had knocked over durning his attempt at escaping. In fact, the knife was still upstairs in Heero's room, laying on the table beside the forgotten collar. Quickly he averted his eyes, knowing that he shouldn't meet the other's glance face on. When he did that though, he noticed that he couldn't tell that the man was standing in front of him. It was just an empty void of space. John was a Vampire.  
  
"So whose this?" The man asked. He was about five inches or so taller than Duo, had rusty blond hair, dangerous brown eyes, and was heavily muscled.   
  
"Oh, this is Duo. The Prince's new slave."  
  
"He's the one that threw me," he stated, no hint of a question in his voice. "Wanna spar?" He asked.  
  
The violet-eyed teen didn't look up but instead remained silent. John was a Vampire and Duo had thrown him like he was nothing almost. There was no doubt in the teen's mind that the man in front of him definitly had hurt pride and would very much like to get back at him for what he had done. If Duo did spar with John then he'd have to let the other get some blows in, maybe even big ones. There was no way that he was going to show the entire guard that he could beat the man. And there wasn't going to be any chance that Duo wanted to get on the bad side of even more people nearly twice as big as him.  
  
"Hey. I asked you a question."  
  
"He might not be allowed to," Hilde offered.  
  
"I asked him. He can answer me on his own. Are you allowed to spar?"  
  
He was not going to answer the question. He would treat it as though nothing were happening and maybe get out of it all without having to do anything. Duo couldn't lie if he was forced to answer. And there was only a slim chance that he would get out of it. There was no real option though. "If I don't get hurt," he stated, looking down at his still bandaged right hand. It still throbbed because the bones were still broken in his knuckles, they hadn't healed over night and Heero had made sure to mention the wound as soon as they were both up. There had been only a little surprise in the prince's eyes when Duo pointed out the windowsill.   
  
"Good. Then why don't we go to the ring," John suggested as he turned and walked away from Duo and Hilde.  
  
Hilde immediately spun around and stared at Duo in shock. "How could you agree? He's gonna kill you! It doesn't matter if you're not suppose to get hurt! He'll blame it on you somehow! John wants revenge Duo. I cannot believe you did that just now! Are you insane?"   
  
Duo shrugged.  
  
"Duo. John isn't a normal person. He's a Vampire."  
  
Another shrug. "I tied you pretty easily. Didn't I?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "And you're a Vampire too." Hilde's jaw dropped in surprise and Duo was already hurrying after John. He wanted to get this over as soon as possible because he knew that Hilde was right, and he also knew that he was going to have to mess up. In order to make John happy and not bother him again, John would have to win.  
  
Quickly Duo walked towards the ring, which was an open space with a circle in the middle of it. The circle had a four foot stone wall around it will only one fence entrance. John was already waiting for him in the ring and a couple of curious soldiers had wandered over. Immediately the braided boy went over to the weapons rack and reached for the only scythe that stood there. His hand stopped about an inch from the handle when he notice a small lizard like creature with folded wings on the top, resting where the poll met the blade.   
  
"Hey bird, you better move," he stated, grabbed the handle of his chosen weapon. The lizard thing hissed and, too fast for even Duo's eyes to follow slid down the handle, ran up his arm, and twisted itself around his throat loosely. Duo could feel the magic pulsing from the thing's body. "Okay okay okay. Dragon thing. Sorry. Don't gotta get all snitchy about it," he chuckled casually as he lifted the scythe and walked toward the ring's entrance. He had recognized the thing as a Dragon and been a little bit more than unnerved, but Duo kept himself casual with the situation. Suddenly realization hit him as he recognized the magic that was throbbing against his skin. "You belong to that sorcerer guy, Wufei."  
  
The green dragon flicked out it's tongue touching Duo's skin lightly, causing a chill to run up his back.  
  
"What, are they spying on me? Making sure I don't kill the man?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Or have you just been attracked to your true Master?" Duo joked and then nearly choked when the thing unexpectantly tightened around his neck. "Shit..." he gasped, holding the edge of the gate as he struggled to breath. "Joke..." he stammered.  
  
"Are you coming or not?" John snapped from inside the ring. More soldiers had gathered around, waiting with growing interest.   
  
The Dragon loosened flickered its tongue warningly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm coming," the teen stated as he walked inside the ring. "Don't have to fuckin' kill me," he muttered under his breath to the lizard creature still around his neck. Nobody else seemed to notice it and Duo supposed that there was a spell on the thing, keeping it invisible from other's eyes. "Okay. Well, just don't hurt me," the boy grinned. He winced as he tightened his right hand around the scythe. Damn broken bones. Why did he have to punch that stone 'sill last night?  
  
"Well come on!" A soldier shouted from the side as John and Duo crouched into ready positions. A few other cheers followed.  
  
"You really humiliated me that day kid. I don't like being humiliated in front of others. Unfortunatly you're gonna learn the hard way."  
  
Duo shrugged, he was surprised at how casually he was taking the whole situation. Especially the fact that he was going to purposefully be letting himself get beaten. 'Heero'll have a fit with it. Him, Quatre, and Trowa probably already think that I'm a masoacist,' he thought jokingly. "Well, just don't beat me too bad."  
  
John suddenly charged towards Duo, his sword raised high above his head. The teen smoothly moved out of the way of the flashing metal as it came crashing down where he had just been standing. Immediately John turned and brought his sword up as though to cut Duo in half at the waist. On instinct, Duo brought his scythe to cover his side as he moved away. John's sword barely touched his scythe before it was pulled back once again and he brought it up to make a diagonal cut from Duo's left collar bone to right thigh. The braided boy instantly brought his own weapon up and their blades clashed.  
  
Both fighters threw themselves back from the point of impact and John rushed once again, his sword in a thrusting position for a straight on attack to sheath itself in Duo's stomach. The violet-eyed boy violently blocked the blow as memories flashed of his previous death. He growled and shoved the man away from him, as he did so he realized that there was no way that he could make himself lose the match. It just wasn't possible for him to do that. Whenever Duo fought he fought to win, to kill. Even when him and Hilde had sparred he had ended up nearly killing the girl. With the new realization, fire started to spread through his bracelets. The spar had turned out not to be just a friendly fight after all.   
  
'It's all in my mind. If I don't think about wounding him or killing him then it'll go away,' Duo told himself as he blocked yet another blow, this one right above his head. John was definitly stronger than Hilde and the boy was starting to feel it. He had had to work when he fought the girl, but now he was actually staying in the defensive position, not even trying to land his own blows. 'Just think about it being a spar and the fire'll go away.'  
  
As John pressed harder down with his sword, the dragon around Duo's neck scratched him. Flames rolled through the youth's body like nothing he had ever experienced, pain flared in the places he had been injured in after the incident with the guard in the forest. Gasping, he fell to his back, barely keeping the man from splitting his head open. And then the anger hit. Why the fuck was he holding back? He knew he was. There was no doubt about it. He was holding back so that he wouldn't stand out. He was holding himself back and actually making this fight hard for himself. He was the goddamn God of Death. He was the fucking devil and he was letting this man just bully him around?  
  
"Too bad you're the Prince's slave. You look like a sweet treat," the man above him smirked.  
  
Duo's entire body tensed as he gathered himself, his hands flexed against his scythe, his right knuckles were healed as though nothing had happened to them. Suddenly he shoved back the man's sword and John went flying across the ring. Instantly the smaller boy was on his feet, John not two seconds behind him. The man shook with anger and rushed at Duo who easily blocked the blow and pushed back. John gritted his teeth and fought to hold his own.  
  
"Don't you ever talk to me like that," Duo snarled. His violet eyes flared violet as he easily pushed against the larger Vampire man's strength. "Don't. You. Ever. Talk. To. Me. Like. That." With the last word he shoved John back slightly and brought the scythe down quickly. The soldier wouldn't have had a chance if flames hadn't suddenly smashed into Duo, and literally forced him to his knees. His scythe slipped from his hands and he took choking gasps of air as he fell to his hands, barely holding himself on all fours.  
  
"Duo!" Hilde shouted from outside the ring.  
  
There was a lot of commotion and noise, but it was blocked from Duo's ears as his lungs burned for air that he was not getting. His stomach cramped and his muscles flexed, making the youth feel like he was going to explode. He tried to grab at any control that was left to stop the pain. 'Fuck I hate magic,' he mentally growled. 'How the hell does that fucking sorcerer have control over me?' His mind shouted and before he could register what he was doing he hand snapped the bracelet off of his left wrist and was in the process of breaking the second one when another wave of fire hit him. 'Fucking sorcerers,' he screamed as the second bracelet snapped. The pain fled quickly, leaving Duo's body throbbing and him still gasping for air.   
  
"What happened here?" An authorative voice asked over all of the commotion.   
  
"Duo? Are you okay?" Hilde asked from beside him. He didn't fail to notice how she was keeping careful distance from him and not touching him.   
  
The braided boy nodded and took another breath of air. "I'm fine. I'll be fine. I just need to breath," he explained. Quickly he snatched the remains of his two broken bracelets and hid them in the folds of his clothing. It wouldn't do to have anybody see that he wasn't under control any more. 'Shit. I could leave right now...' his thought drifted away as he regained control over his body.   
  
"What happened?" The female voice stated again from the entrance of the ring.   
  
Feeling the familiar pulse of life that he had tasted before, Duo struggled to his feet and turned around to face the same black-haired woman he had flung across the hall the first time he had woken up in the castle. She seemed to recognize him to as her features changed, though he couldn't decide if it was softer or harder. "We were sparing," Duo answered, his eyes quickly diverting from hers as he realized what he was doing. He could get into trouble for looking at her straight on, challenging her glance.  
  
"I can see that. John?"  
  
Duo turned to see that John was just getting to his feet, slowly sheathing his sword and dusting himself off. "I'm fine Lutenant," he informed.  
  
"Then there are no problems?"  
  
John shook his head and Duo turned to face the Human once again. He too shook his head in the negative.   
  
"Good. I wouldn't want to have to report any rough play with the Prince's slave. Would I?" She asked.  
  
"No Ma'am."  
  
The Luteinant nodded and turned on her heal, walking swiftly away from the scene and leaving the soldiers to stare on in wonderment at Duo who stood in the middle of the ring. Quickly he ducked down and grabbed the scythe off of the ground, dusting it off quickly before he turned to himself. Smart people saw weapons as tools, Duo was one of those people, but that wasn't to say that he didn't respect it. He looked up and saw John glarning at him from across the ring. The braided boy's face was anything but cheerful, his jaw was lose but his lips staid in a tight straight line, his eyes narrowed slightly.   
  
"Duo, why don't we get out of here now?" Hilde suggested from his side. She still wasn't daring enough as to reach out and touch him to get his attention.  
  
With a curt nod of agreement, Duo turned and followed Hilde from the ring. They walked in silence to the weapons rack where Duo put the scythe back into place. It wasn't until then that he realized the Dragon was gone from around him neck. He shrugged mentally in indifference. "You're not going to tell anybody, are you?" He asked, his voice soft and near pleading. He knew that Hilde had seen him break the bracelets, there would have been no way for her not to have seen him do it.  
  
Hilde was silent for a few minutes before she answered. "No," she said carefully. "I said that I wouldn't get you into trouble."  
  
"You're not just saying that because you're afraid I'll kill you?" He wondered, fingers lazily trailing down the scythe's handle as silence once again settled over the two.  
  
"I don't know why you became my friend so fast Duo, but you did. I think it's because you nearly killed me before that I would trust you with my life now."  
  
"You knew."  
  
"Yeah. I knew that you were trying to kill me and that you were also trying not to at the same time. I know that I'm lucky to be alive. But," she paused and shrugged. "As I said, I trust you with my life. You're easy to talk to and around here there aren't many people like that."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Another shrug. "Don't worry about it. Though I would worry about John. He's not going to give up on you that easily, even though he knows that he was beaten."  
  
"I was going to give him the match."  
  
"I know. I could tell as soon as you agreed. That's why I was so surprised. I didn't think that you were one to just give up on a fight, even if it was to save your own skin or just a game." She smiled softly and then chuckled. "And I guess I was right. Ne?"  
  
Duo's lips tugged into a fake smile, though it quickly fell. "You're one hell of a girl Hilde."  
  
"What did he say to you?" She asked, moving away from the rack finally.  
  
The braided boy followed her as she walked slowly away from the rack and the ring. He shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing important. Just something personal. You don't have to worry about offending me in that way though," he assured her.  
  
"Well, that makes me feel better. That was a hell of an ending there though. The group really did get their little show."  
  
"Sure did. But I'm in trouble now."  
  
Hilde looked up at him, her eyes worried. "Don't worry Duo. It was self defense. He was trying to kill you. I can stand up for you, so can any of those guys who were watching."  
  
"Yeah, but the thing is...I was trying to kill him at the end there. It wasn't a fair fight. Shit, I'm not in trouble because of the fight but because I can't hide now. Really Hilde. Part of you wanted to believe that you had underestimated me. You didn't fully believe that you were luck to be alive. And so I could have hid, played my role as the weak slave and let you think that you just weren't prepared for somebody who knew how to use a weapon. But now all of those guys know that I'm capable of kicking their asses. How long before they get pissed at me? How long before I'm deemed too po-" Duo was cut off as the Dragon squeezed his throat. The violet-eyed teen just gave up talking and breathing, not even wanting to try. When the creature knew that he wouldn't finish the statement it loosened and relaxed on his neck.   
  
"What were you saying Duo?"  
  
The youth shrugged indifferently. "I should probably be getting inside now. Thanks for everything Hilde."  
  
"Don't worry. I won't tell anybody."  
  
"They already know though. Most likely," he informed as he walked away from the girl who had stopped walking, and headed towards the castle. He walked through the door and started down the dark passageway to no place in particular. "I had the chance to leave. I could have killed them all and just left. But I'm still here," he muttered. "Wufei's probably getting ready to strike me dead, Quatre invading my mind, Trowa will just brutally kill me, and Heero...Heero'll just give me an order," he stated in defeat. Duo didn't know what had happened to him after that fight with John, but the reality that he was not free had crashed in on him.   
  
Suddenly he stopped walking and started to chuckle, soon it grew to a laugh near hysterics. "Oh fucking God! All I need is to be told and I'll bend over backwards. Break my own fucking body," he laughed at how stupid it all was. He may be the most powerful being in all the world, but it didn't mean anything if somebody controlled him. Suddenly he whirled and slammed his fist into the wall, then the other one, the crunch of bones breaking could be heard with the splitting of rock. Slowly Duo pulled his hand back from the six inch holes he had created. "Most powerful fucking being in the universe and I pray to God?" He wondered, slamming his already broken hand back into the wall, taking pleasure in the pain that blossomed. "I'm stronger than fucking God! There is no fucking God!" He cried, punching the wall once again.  
  
"There. Is. No. Fucking. God!" He shouted and smashed the wall again. Blood was spattered across the stone as well as his shirt. The warm liquid flowed down his arm and steadily dripped to the floor as he stood, both hands imbedded into the wall to different degrees, head bowed.   
  
"Duo?" A familiar voice wondered from somewhere down the hall.  
  
The violet-eyed teen didn't respond, instead he slid down to the ground, let his hand sliding roughly from the holes in the wall. 'He always finds me on the floor with something broken. He's the only one who really knows how weak I am. Because he has control.'   
  
"Duo," this time it was not a question but a fact.  
  
"She declared war. Didn't she?" He asked, not really knowing or caring what the answer was.. "You want to know my Master. Right?" This time he truly knew the answer. "You'll need to use me if you've been thrown into war," he stated, his voice hollow. "You'll have to be able to control me because I'm too strong."  
  
"Duo..."  
  
"And you can't deny it because I'm right."  
  
A hand rested on Duo's shoulder as Heero sunk down to the floor beside the chestnut-haired boy. "Duo. You don't have to tell me. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to," he said softly.  
  
Duo looked up at the prince, his violet eyes having lost their shimmer and simply stared in a sad monotone. "Do you know how much I love you?" He asked, a small flicker entering his eyes. "Ever since I woke up and saw you that first time. Probably before I even met you. I loved you," he breathed, leaning his forehead into the other's shoulder. "I want you to have me. I want you to take me now."  
  
The prince seemed to tense slightly.  
  
"Please Heero," the teen begged as he tilted his head to the side, revealing his pale, slender, unmarked neck. "I've wanted you to take me," he whispered as he wrapped a broken hand around Heero's head and brought his lover's mouth closer to his neck, stretched out and waiting. "I was so scared and then realized that its what I wanted." He could sense Heero's change take place, though he did not expect the perfect white angel's wings that suddenly sprouted from the prince's back as he sunk his extended canines into Duo's neck. 


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Chapter 19 -  
  
Duo gasped as pleasure exploded through his body. He felt a curling tightness where his shoulder-blades were and felt large, black, bat wing extend from his back and fill the hallway, the constricting walls causing them to gently fold back against the cold stone. The braided boy clung to Heero as the prince sucked his blood. Time lost meaning as the two lovers sat in their embrace, one attached to the other's neck and the second helplessly caught in the grasp of ecstasy. It seemed all too soon before the boy with chocolate colored hair extracted his fangs and gently licked the two twin puncture holes in the pale skin before him. He held the violet-eyed teen tightly as the thin boy's body seemingly became liquid and he collapsed even further into the other's embrace.  
  
"Master," Duo sighed as he laid his head in the crook of the prince's neck. "Ah Gods Heero."  
  
"Duo," Heero growled possessively as he licked up the other boy's neck and then claimed his lips in a searing kiss. When he pulled away they were both breathing heavily. "Mine," he declared, looking straight into Duo's violet eyes.  
  
The braided teen willingly gave himself to the cobalt-eyed boy. "I wouldn't want to be anybody else's," he managed to gasp out before being caught in another bruising kiss.  
  
As the two kissed, Heero ran his hands behind Duo's now bare back and trailed his fingers over the black wings. Duo gasped into the prince's mouth and then moaned as a new wave of pleasure racked his body. "Oh God Heero," he murmured as they pulled away once again. His eye caught a smirk on the prince's face as he was pushed back to the ground and the other teen stood on all fours above him.   
  
"Duo." The dark-haired boy's voice was low and husky and he said the other boy's name demandingly.   
  
Duo's violet-eyes were glazed over in lust as he started up at his lover. "Take me," he nearly whimpered as need crawled through his body. "Please. Master. Take me."  
  
"Duo." Again the name was possessive and followed directly by another searing kiss as he pressed his body against the braided boy's, grinding his hips against the other boy's.  
  
Moaning into Heero's mouth, Duo wriggled helplessly under his lover. His wings had folded gently under his back and as one of the prince's hands gripped the back of Duo's head, pushing him deeper into the kiss, the other hand was gliding along the leathery surface. All reasonable thoughts had fled both of their minds and all they knew existed were each other, the fact that they were in a hallway in the middle of the castle was completely overlooked as they lost themselves in their pleasure.  
  
Heero pulled away again and instantly started to attack Duo's neck, his tongue licked and nibbled the fresh wounds, though he didn't bite again. His hands had now left the previous spots and ran over the braided boy's bare chest, alighting fire wherever they touched pale skin. They flittered lower until he had ran into the top of Duo's pants, quickly he all but ripped the clothing from the violet-eyed boy's body and tossed them away. Just as quickly he kicked his own pants off and went back to licking and nibbling ever inch of bare skin presented in front of him.   
  
Duo gasped loudly as he felt his hard member get engulfed by Heero's mouth. Immediately he tried to push his hips further up but the other boy held them down firmly, keeping him from moving anywhere. The prince's tongue twirled in random patterns as he sucked harshly on the candy like shaft in his mouth. Heero wasn't trying to make the boy under him last long, his mind was far from torture and it was only a matter of minutes before Duo cried out Heero's name and as he crashed over the edge he felt a saliva slick digit slide into his body from behind. He was too lost in his orgasm to notice though as Heero greedily swallowed the essence of his lover. Soon a second finger was added to the first and started making scissor movements. To distract the braided boy from the pain Heero once again attacked the teen with his mouth. Duo was almost instantly hard.  
  
A third finger was added to the first two. Heero moved them a bit and after a couple of thrusts back into and out of the pale teen's body he withdrew them fully. Duo whimpered at the loss until they plunged back into his body. "Take me! Gods please. Heero...Master," the teen whimpered as he writhed on the ground helplessly. "Please. Take me!"  
  
Giving into his lover's pleas, Heero withdrew the three fingers and replaced them with the tip of his cock at Duo's entrance. Despite how pleasure crazy the dark-haired boy was he started to rock himself into the other's body slowly, not wanting to cause any pain, but Duo's legs wove around the prince's waist and shoved him forward into him. The braided boy bit his tongue as he obviously held back from crying out at the self-inflicted pain. Heero sat still in his position, letting the teen under him get use to the sensation and when Duo started to move and whimper once again he withdrew nearly all of the way before slamming himself back into the tight tissues of the black winged boy's body.  
  
The braided boy moaned loudly and the prince leaned forward to give him another passionate kiss while his thrust himself into the teen's body. When he pulled away Duo stared up into his cobalt eyes powerlessly, begging for more. Heero didn't need any encouragement and hurriedly quickened the pace. Candle light danced over their sweating bodies as cries of pleasure filled the passageways. Duo felt the boy above him thrust into his body and hit his prostrate, pleasure ran through his body as his spine arched up and he called out the other's name. Chestnut strands were strewn everywhere and was glimmering with sweat as it clung to their naked bodies.   
  
When Heero felt the violet-eyed boy's body start to tense he knew that his lover was close to release and wrapped his hand around the boy's hard member as started to pump with the same furious pace that he was slammed into him.   
  
Duo shouted Heero's name as he came violently, his muscles clamping around his lover's cock and Heero could only thrust into his twice more before he let himself cum as well, calling out Duo's name as he shot his seed into the violet-eyed teen's body and fell forward, tightly gathering up the limp and shinning boy into his arms.  
  
"Heero," Duo whispered faintly as the two lay on the stone ground, wings still splayed out and feathers falling in every direction.  
  
The prince grabbed the thin boy closer to him and growled possessively. Duo laid contently in Heero's arms and silence settled over the two boys.  
  
Sighing, the violet-eyed boy snuggled closer to the warm body holding him. "You're my Master, you own me," he stated in a matter-of-fact voice. "You own my mind, body, soul...and power." After the last statement he started to tremble.   
  
Heero gained some of normal stature back when he felt Duo start to tremble and started to rub the other boy gently. "I know Duo, it's okay."  
  
"I mean, I've been working my entire life not to let this happen."  
  
"Shhh, it's okay," the cobalt-eyed youth let his chin rest lightly on the braided boy's head as he tried to sooth the trembling individual in his arms.  
  
Duo shook his head against Heero's chest as he fumbled a little bit to latch onto his lover in some way, then finally settling for just being held close. "No...I want it though. I said it before, that I loved you from the beginning. And that first time we touched...I was scared because I knew that I wanted it. Wanted...want it more than anything else." He paused for a moment and silence once again fell over them. The next time that the black winged boy spoke his voice was heavy and slow with exhaustion. "The others...they're...looking for me...and for...you..."  
  
"I know, I can hear them," Heero stated. The teen in his arms had stopped shaking but he was still a little worried about what the after effect of being bitten would over all do to Duo, especially added to the fact that the chestnut-haired boy had just been claimed. "Come on Duo," he whispered gently as he slowly got up, gathering the smaller boy in his arms as he did so. "Duo?"  
  
"Nugh?" Was the muffled response as Duo tried to keep himself conscious in order to answer his Master's question.  
  
"Can you retract your wings?" The prince asked.  
  
Duo's violet eyes were barely half opened as he made another small noise. The wings twitched and then fell limp, the overall effect making them look like a black cloak. "Sorry."  
  
The prince let himself smile lightly down at his lover. "That's okay Duo. That works just fine," he reassured as he changed his arm positioning so that he was holding the cloak as well as the teen. His ears perked and he could hear the group of three making their way over to him. He looked down at the ground where his clothes and Duo's shredded ones were, yet he was unwilling to put the creature in his arms down long enough to get dressed. A vague muttering from Duo caught his attention and slight surprise, having thought that the boy was already asleep.   
  
"Yu' pu m' down," the youth offered.  
  
Another smiled graced the dark-haired boy's lips. "I'm fine Duo."  
  
"Yu' need tu 'et 'ressed."  
  
Heero shook his head lightly, wondering why the boy hadn't already fell asleep.  
  
"Masser..."  
  
The one word dawned all light on the prince's question. "Go ahead and go to sleep Duo. Don't worry about anything okay?"  
  
"Ung."  
  
Duo's breathing almost immediately changed into that of when he was asleep. Looking up and listening once again, Heero realized that he didn't have a lot of time until the group reached him. 'Improvise,' he though right as the three-some rounded the corned. Quatre was the first to look up and immediately stopped in his tracks, the other two quickly skidding to a stop as to not run into the shorter blond prince. Instinctively they looked up to see what had caught Quatre's eye and they stood, paralyzed.  
  
Heero stood in the middle of the hallway, about seventy-five yards away from them, his wings still out and folded around his body enough to cover himself as needed. His dark chocolate colored hair was more ruffled than usual and his body was still shimmering with sweat and reflecting the candles around him. In his arms, he held Duo who was limp and naked except for his hair that was sticking to his body and the makeshift cover that had been made with his 'cloak'.  
  
He was looking down at Duo, but when he sensed that the others had stopped he slowly turned his head to look up at them, his blue eyes glimmering intensely.   
  
The heavy silence that had settled over them was broken when Quatre gasped loudly. "Oh God what happened?" He exclaimed, his face immediately strewn with worry as he rushed forward. The spell was broken, Trowa and Wufei instantly ran after the blond.   
  
"He's fine, simply exhausted," Heero explained to Quatre as Trowa and Wufei slowed down and walked up.  
  
"But...Heero...what...wings?" The confused blond stammered, his green-aqua eyes traveling over the white angel wings that were partially folded around the dark-haired teen's body.  
  
Wufei lightly, but forcefully, mad his way next to Quatre. "I believe that before there is any more discussion you should put these on him," the sorcerer stated as he presented another set of bracelets in front of Heero. When the prince did not take them right away he pushed his hand forward more. "Heero, take them."  
  
"No."  
  
The black-haired boy was obviously getting irritated. "Heero," he growled. "We cannot let him roam around without-"   
  
"I refuse to put those bracelets back on him Wufei."   
  
"I believe that a good explanation in order," Trowa stated, his eyes meeting Heero's. "Brother."  
  
Heero nodded in agreement. "Yes. Let my just put Duo in my room."  
  
"Without bracelets? Without anything to keep him in? What has happened to you Heero?" Wufei exclaimed. "How can you even suggest something as absurd as that? If you're going to leave him alone then put the bracelets on him." The teen's jaw was shut tightly and it was clear on Trowa's and Quatre's faces that they agreed with the sorcerer and were not going to be easily persuaded on the matter.  
  
"I would rather not discuss my reasons for this hear," the winged boy stated. "Would you like to have me take him with us to the library?" He asked. "I have to go up to my room though anyway to get dressed. What is it going to be?"  
  
There was a pause in which each boy thought over the exact implications of the question. Trowa was the first to answer. "If you think that it is safe," was all he said before shrugging his shoulders slightly.  
  
"I agree with Trowa. Obviously there is something you know that we do not. If you think that it's safe."  
  
Heero turned towards Wufei who was still looking rather stubborn, though the exotic looking boy sighed exasperatedly. "I cannot believe you Heero Yuy. You are going to be the death of us all one day. Though I hope that day isn't any time soon. We need to get ourselves through this war first."  
  
Nodding to show that he understood, the dark-haired prince started forward in the direction the three had come from. Trowa, his brother, walked beside him while Quatre walked next to Wufei as he tried to calm the young man down. "Don't worry Trowa. I know what I am doing. There is nothing to be afraid of."  
  
"I trust you with my life brother, as I know you trust me. Though there are many," he paused as his green eyes scanned the other's pure white angel wings. "Interesting questions that I have. And I'm sure that Quatre and Wufei have their share as well." The tall boy's eyes left his brother's wings and traveled down to Duo who had snuggled closely to Heero's chest and was snoring lightly. He snorted and shook his head. "It's quite amazing. Who would have ever guessed? We were lucky to have caught what he was before he slipped through our fingers."  
  
The cobalt-eyed teen looked down at his lover and grunted. "He wouldn't have left," he informed bluntly before turning left in the direction of his bedroom. "I will be in the library to meet you shortly," he called to the others as he quickly disappeared down the hallway and made his way, unseen by any eyes, to his room. Once there he quickly crossed over to the bed and gently slipped Duo beneath the covers and then retracted his wings as he hurriedly pulled on some casual clothes consisting of brown leather pants and a green lace-up top trimmed with black and silver. He was just about to slip from the room when a waking moan from his braided beauty stopped him and he walked back to the side of the bed. Duo moaned again and looked as though he was struggling to open his eyes. "Duo. Go back to sleep Duo. I'm just going to the library to speak to Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei," the prince whispered softly as he ran his fingers through his lover's silky hair. "Just don't leave this room, okay?"  
  
"Nungh," the nearly sleeping mass groaned as he rolled towards Heero.   
  
Snorting softly, Heero planted a feather light kiss on the pale teen's forehead and then slid silently from the room.  
  
  
"Okay, what's your explanation? What the hell is going on here exactly?" Wufei burst out as soon as Heero entered their meeting room in the library. "It better be good because you just left him all alone up in your bedroom without any means of keeping him there."  
  
Ignoring the immediate bombardment of questions, the dark-haired prince walked across the room and took his seat in one of the leather chairs. His eyes were closed for a couple of minutes as the room hung suspended, waiting. Wufei was still on his feet, though his anger was slowly fading away, Trowa and Quatre remained seated and simply waited for the other boy to do something. Finally Heero slowly opened his eyes and looked at each of the teens in the eyes, ending with Wufei. "Is this room fully secured?" He asked, as his eyes slid back to his hands. The others couldn't tell if he was staring at his lap or if his eyes were closed.  
  
"Yes," the sorcerer informed as he took his seat once again.  
  
"Now will you tell us what's going on? Even I like Duo, Heero, but to leave him like that up in your room unsupervised? I don't even know if I would do that," Quatre said.  
  
"Nothing's going to happen."  
  
"How can you be so sure?" The blond wondered.  
  
"Because he's under control."  
  
"The only way to be sure that he's under control is if..." Wufei's sentence died out as the image of a white winged Heero carrying a bare and limp Duo flashed through his mind. Abruptly the black-haired boy's head snapped up and he stared at the mute prince. "You mean to tell us that..."  
  
"Duo is under control."  
  
"You mean you..." Quatre whispered.  
  
"I claimed what was rightfully mine," Heero stated clearly. "There are no longer any problems related to Duo other than what is going to happen to him during the war." He paused momentarily and when nobody spoke he continued. "He's not going to be asleep for long. Do you want to continue with this conversation now or later on this evening?"  
  
"We should talk to him as well," Trowa suggested calmly, eyes meeting once again with Heero's. "It be good to start getting what information that we can before things get too hot with war. I would say wait to talk to him this evening and then once we have a little bit more on that information then we should talk afterwards and tomorrow afternoon you'll talk to Trieze."  
  
Heero sighed. "And then announce that war has been declared between the Sanq and Prydain kingdom. Though, I truly want to wait a couple of days to give you, Quatre and Trowa, enough time to get back to the Winner Kingdom. I think that it would be best if you were on your own land when the declaration comes. Besides, I believe that it will be coming along with my declaration of being a vampire. Things are going to be getting heated very quickly."  
  
"You're right. I'll make plans to leave tomorrow in that case, though I really wish that I didn't have to go. Especially on these terms. I'll want to say goodbye to Duo though." The blond looked up nervously. "I'll be able to do that, right?"  
  
"That would be fine. I'm sure that he's going to be wanting to say his own goodbye to you two as well," Heero offered. Fluently he stood and once again scanned over the three boys in front of him, this time his eyes lastly rested on Trowa. "We need to talk," was all that he said before he left the library, not even looking behind him to see how Trowa would follow him. Once he was in the passageway though, it was only a matter of seconds until the taller boy was walking by his side.   
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this entire situation."  
  
The green-eyed boy nodded. "Quatre has been saying the same thing. He's nervous," he informed.  
  
"How nervous?"  
  
"He's started to carry a dagger around with him constantly."  
  
Heero looked up at his brother in as near disbelief as he could manage. After a quick inspection of Trowa's completely serious face he went back to looking at the ground in front of him. "I suggest that you take the shortest route home. Should I send any of my men with you? Or will the Maguanacs be enough for you?"  
  
"I think that the Maguanacs will be fine, though I'll make sure to bring your offer up with Quatre as soon as I get back to him. Are you sure that everything's going to be fine over here?"   
  
There was a pause but it was short. "So far things have been going good enough, though I must say I do not know what to expect with my announcement, or announcements, tomorrow. All I can do is hope for the best though. There doesn't seem to be that much of a choice in anything now. Either my people are with me or they are not."  
  
Trowa nodded. "You're a good ruler. There is nothing that your people would not do for you. Even I know that. I can feel it radiating from the people around you. And there is also one you would do anything for as well," he added quietly, eyeing the cobalt-eyed teen from the side of his vision. "It hasn't just come up either."  
  
"Yes, well, you have Quatre. And speaking of Quatre...are you happy brother?" Heero wondered, eyeing the boy beside him much as the other had just done.  
  
A soft sigh escaped Trowa's lips as he changed his posture slightly. "More so than I ever would have been if I had stayed. I guess that I owe it to father that I'm with him now. If it hadn't been for him giving me away like that, then I don't think that we would be together."  
  
"I'm glad that you're happy." The statement was genuine but his tone of voice was flat as normal. "You should probably be getting back to him now any way. We both have things to be doing now."  
  
Trowa didn't veer off at the next corner like he should have, instead he staid beside Heero. "There's something else that you're not telling me. What's bothering you?"  
  
"Don't worry, I'll bring it up tonight when we are all together. I believe that Duo will have some information on it any way. It can wait."  
  
"Good bye."  
  
"Good bye," Heero stated as the two brothers continued walking in different directions.  
  
  
Heero silently entered his room and approached the bed where Duo still lay. The braided boy was still facing outwards but had grabbed a pillow and had all but molded himself to the cushion. The prince quickly slipped his shirt off as well as his shoes and pants and slipped in next to his lover. Duo wings were still folded like a black cloak along his back and Heero only needed to run his fingers along the sensitive material a couple of times before the youth moaned and turned to face him, the forgotten pillow falling to the ground. Slipping his arms around the slender figure in front of him, Heero easily slid Duo up against his body and held him there.   
  
"Wha' 'ey say?" Duo wondered in a half comprehendible murmur.  
  
The prince couldn't help but roll his eyes as he rested his chin on top of his lover's head and trailed his fingers along Duo's chamois like wings. "Don't worry about it Duo, just get some rest." A groan of protest filtered from where the braided boy's head was pressed next to Heero's body. "Duo, you're tired. I promise that I'll tell you about it later. You need some rest now though."  
  
"O'kay," was the nearly inaudible response as Duo snaked his own arms around Heero's waist and snuggled impossibly close to the dark-haired prince then finally settled down with a heavy sigh. "M' goin' tu seep..."  
  
As Heero planted a light kiss on top of the other teen's apple scented chestnut hair he smiled to himself. Despite the fact that war had just been declared on his kingdom, things were going well. The prince couldn't help but admit that he had felt jealous of whoever was Duo's Master, but now that he thought of it, it all made sense. It didn't matter much to him if it made sense or not though, all that mattered was that Duo was his, and nobody would be able to take him away.  
  
- - - - -   
  
"Did you finish your business Dorothy?"  
  
"No Miss Relena. I didn't get the chance to do so. It seemed as if things did not go as planed though."  
  
"True. I wonder how the demon survived. He was dead, by both our accounts and the soldier's. How could have he possibly survived?"  
  
"I don't know. Could it be that we underestimated the demon's power Miss Relena?"  
  
"I did not think that that was possible. But that can be the only reason that he is not dead. Go back and kill him Dorothy, I do not like how close he looked to be to Prince Heero. If Heero finds his Master and decides to use him against me in war then there will be problems. There is already difficulty with The Prydain and Winner Kingdom being in allegiance."  
  
"But Miss Relena, should I not escort you back to Sanq Kingdom? It's too dangerous for you to be without a bodyguard, especially now. What if Prince Heero sends an assassin after you?"  
  
"Heero isn't like that. Actually, it's an unspoken agreement that he's going to let me get back to Sanq before any plans are brought into action. But you know war Dorothy. Or at least you should. You already know that it takes more than a couple of days to make any firm plans."  
  
"True Miss Relena."  
  
"I'll be fine Dorothy. While your gone I'll have Lady Une watch over me."  
  
"Are you sure about that Miss Relena?"  
  
"Yes, I'm quite sure that I'll be fine. Besides, I still have Pagan with me. Now get going Dorothy, I want that demon dead as soon as possible. You can do whatever you want with him, but I want you to cut his head clean off his shoulders and bring it back to me. I want to be sure that he will not be coming back to life any time soon. My parents entrusted you with my life and I plan on you upholding that Dorothy."  
  
"Of course Miss Relena. I'll leave right now."  
  
"Good. And make sure that nobody gets in your way, if they do then kill them."  
  
"Yes Miss Relena."  
  
"Except for Heero of course."  
  
"Of course Miss Relena. Prince Heero shall be untouched."  
  
"Good. I'm delighted that I have someone like you around Dorothy. You are truly amazing. Don't let anybody tell you differently. And once you get this job done and give the demon's head to me then I'm sure that you will be allowed to visit the Winner Kingdom. I am sorry that you did not get to finish that job when we were there, I guess that there just wasn't enough time." There was a soft sigh and the blond-haired princess relaxed back into her carriage seat, picking up a small red pillow by her side. "Run along now Dorothy. And don't get caught, especially now that Heero and everybody has seen you." Relena chuckled after the statement and placed the cousin to her side once again. "I guess it actually doesn't matter any more, now that we're at war. Does it?"  
  
"No Miss Relena. But I should be heading back. It would be pleasant if I could get there by tonight."  
  
"Oh of course Dorothy. I'm so sorry to keep you waiting here. Go on."  
  
"Yes Miss Relena," the blond Huntress nodded and pulled her horse away from the side of the wagon. "Thank you Miss Relena," she stated right before she kicked her horse into a gallop and quickly turned around, then hurriedly started to make her way back in the direction of the Prydain Kingdom.  
  
  
  
TBC 


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Chapter 20 -   
  
"I can't believe that Heero is Duo's Master. What's going to happen? What do you think Heero is going to do with Duo during war? Do you think that he's going to have Wufei train him how to use his magic? I just don't want him to get hurt or anything. And you know how Heero and Wufei are. I know that Heero doesn't want anything to happen to Duo, I can sense how much he loves him. But in times of war and need, do you think that Wufei is going to let Heero keep dodging anything that may harm Duo? And now we have to leave. It all just seems so sudden," Quatre stated sullenly as he packed a few of his belongings into a small bag. Because he and Trowa often visited the Prydain Kingdom they had their own permanent rooms and the two teens simply left clothes at the palace so that they wouldn't have to bring any when they came down.  
  
"I know little one, but you have to get back to your own Kingdom," the prince's lover answered from a spot closely behind the blond.  
  
Quatre sighed. "Sometimes being a prince is just too much work. I know that you're right though. I need to get back and make sure that everything is as it was when I left. Especially with war." He sighed once again. "I hope that Heero and I aren't forced to face each other in battle. It would be the end of me if I had to fight against your brother, one of my best friends. Ahh...Trowa," he murmured as strong arms circled his waist and pulled him against the taller boy's chest. Closing his eyes, the prince leaned his head back and allowed himself to relax.  
  
"You need some rest," Trowa whispered in the blond's ear. "And you shouldn't be packing that, Heero has servants to do it. It's there job you know. Not yours."  
  
"I know, but it isn't all that much work. It's just..." the sentence drifted off as Trowa leaned his head down and started to make a trail of butterfly kissed up the short boy's neck.  
  
"What were you saying?" He whispered in between feather light kisses.  
  
The prince just moaned in answer and tilted his head to the side to allow his lover more access to his neck. "Trowa..." Once again whatever statement that was going to be made was lost in a pleasurable groan as Trowa slid his hands around the blond and swiftly carried him to the bed where he gently dropped the boy down. "But Trowa...we need to get ready to leave..." The thought was lost as the taller boy leaned down and then claimed Quatre's mouth in a deep kiss.   
  
- - - - -   
  
Wufei walked hurriedly through the corridors of the palace, quickly turning a corner and then finally slowing down as he spotted the door to his room. Everything seemed to be happening so fast. First it was finding out that Duo was Beelzebub, the most powerful being in the universe and that he was staying under their guard in the castle as the prince's own slave. Then it was Relena's arrival and that lead to the overall meeting which lead to the argument which now put them in the much prolonged position of war between the Prydain Kingdom and the Sanq Kingdom. And now, not even a day after the Queen left the castle, were they finding out that Heero was the Master of Duo, of Beelzebub. 'And not too forget that Heero has to inform the kingdom that he's a Vampire.'  
  
"I don't know whether to take that information as being good or bad," he muttered to himself as he opened the large oak door and entered his and Trieze's bedroom.   
  
"What as being good or bad Dragon?" A familiar voice wondered softly from right behind the sorcerer.   
  
The Chinese boy jumped slightly and then relaxed back into his lover's embrace. "What are you doing here?" He wondered as he let the events of the day wash over him and all but hung in his lover's strong arms.  
  
"Ahh, Dragon. What has seemed to tire you out in just the first hours of the day? It is barely after lunch and yet you look as though you have not gotten sleep in days. May it have to do with this thing being good or bad?"  
  
"Yes, largely," Wufei informed as he straightened himself, regaining some composure that he had lost when he had melted in the taller man's embrace.   
  
Trieze chuckled softly in the Chinese boy's ear. "Maybe if you tell me what seems to be bothering you so much then it will bother you less. Ne Dragon? I believe that that is the exact same thing you told me when I found out that Zechs and Noin were getting married. Was it not?"  
  
"Trieze. This is not as simple as a wedding, and I am sure that Heero will talk to you about it soon enough. It is not my place to go around telling every thing to everybody. Even with your status. It is the Prince's business and when he sees fit to tell you then he will."  
  
"But Dragon, you seem quite distressed. I don't think that our Heero will want you getting weary now will he? He needs his sorcerer in good health." He pause for a moment and planted a kiss on Wufei's neck. "Exercise keeps one healthy. Isn't that true?" The General wondered idly as he scooped up his lover and carried him over to their bed, then gently laid him down on the blood red comforter. He then crawled over the smaller boy and leaned down to claim a passionate kiss.  
  
- - - - -   
  
When Duo's eyes fluttered open the shadows in the room were long and the sun was nearly down. He moaned loudly and tightened his arms around Heero's waist, not wanting to leave the comfort of the bed for any reason what so ever. "Heero," he stated against the said person's chest, already knowing that he was awake and staring down at him.  
  
"Yes Duo?"  
  
"I never want to leave," he informed happily, cuddling closer and flicking his tongue out to taste Heero's flesh at the same time. "Can we just stay here forever?" He wondered as his fingers trailed along the small of the prince's back.  
  
Heero was just about to groan an 'okay' when a loud knock sounded from the door. From where his head was buried next to his lover's chest, Duo could hear and feel his growl and the unwanted interruption, or maybe that was his own growl. He didn't know and didn't let it get to him, instead he continued to trail his fingers teasingly light along Heero's tanned back. His lover seemed to have ignored the knock as well because soon enough the violet-eyed teen found himself on his back, looking up into his lover's commanding eyes. A shiver ran up his spine, but he didn't know if it was from anticipation of what was to come, or realization of what those eyes commanded.  
  
Another knock.  
  
It was louder than the first and now both boys defiantly growled unpleasantly. "What?" Heero snapped loudly so that the servant could hear him through the door. Duo just slid his hands from around his lover's back and now massaged the strong chest that was bent over him possessively.  
  
"I was just sent up to tell you that dinner is ready to be served your Highness," a nervous high pitch male's voice stated from outside in the hallway.   
  
"Fine," the prince hissed. "I'll be there when I am."  
  
"Of course your Highness. Do you want me to retrieve the others that will be attending dinner as well?" The man asked. An image of a young man, looking to be about in his thirties or forties, with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes and an unusually pale face, standing in front of Heero's door wringing his hands, flashed through Duo's mind and he froze on the bed under Heero.  
  
"No, I'll get them when I am coming down," Heero all but snarled at the man. The dark-haired boy then looked down at Duo who was just getting over his seeing. "Duo?" The prince wondered, worry tingeing the edges of his voice.  
  
Duo blinked a few times and then continued to paw Heero's chest above him. "Hee-chan," he purred. "Play with me?"  
  
A smirk formed on Heero's face but was quickly washed away as his head snapped to the left and his eyes narrowed. Duo automatically looked over in the same direction and saw what Heero and felt, a picture of Wufei standing sideways glowed in the flame of the single candle beside the bed. "What is it Wufei?" Heero asked, his voice low and dangerous.  
  
The sorcerer didn't look back at the two, but a blush was obvious on his features, causing Duo to laugh at the scene. At the sound of Duo's banter the black-haired teen spun around and glared at him, his eyes immediately widening as his blush intensified and then he quickly turned away again. "Heero," the teen hesitated to cough into his hand softly and then continued. "I was wondering when you two would be ready to go to dinner and talk. It's already getting rather late and I saw that dinner is ready."  
  
Eyeing Wufei's picture in the flame quickly, Duo turned his gaze back up to Heero, an eyebrow raise in question even though the prince wasn't looking down at him. He mentally shook his head at the obviousness though and his face washed away any emotions as he continued to stare up at his Master. Of course they would want to talk to him. There were probably so many questions that they wanted answers to, and now that they knew who his Master was they would be able to get them without hassle and without complaint from him. As Heero continued to listen or speak to Wufei, Duo started to paw at the prince's bare chest once again. He was already aroused and may he be damned if they weren't going to finish it. 'Maybe that's not the best metaphor to use. I am damned,' he thought with little humor.   
  
Finally Heero turned his attention back to him, a small smirk forming on his straight face. Duo was still trapped underneath the taller boy, though he didn't mind at all, it didn't seem that the prince did either because he let out a soft moan when the braided boy's hands glided over one of his nipples. Once again their eyes met and Duo growled, he saw exactly how the conversation had ended and was none to happy with it, then decided to ignore it and keep on with his ministrations. His fingers started to move lower but only got to the center of Heero's abdomen before the cobalt-eyed teen all but laid down on top of him, trapping his hands in between their bodies and grinding their hips together. Groaning, Duo slipped from his stand of control and let the other boy take over completely, opening his mouth immediately when Heero's tongue flickered out and ran across his lips. The chestnut-haired boy moaned as his Master plundered his mouth, reaching into crevasses that had never been found before.  
  
Soon the prince had one hand holding his wrists above his head as he continued to passionately kiss him. When Heero did pull away, they were both breathing heavily. The messy-haired boy had just started to explore Duo's chest with his mouth when a loud, resounding knock was landed on the door. Duo just moaned and wriggled under his Master as the other teen lifted his head and glared daggers as the door, hoping to drill holes into the head of whoever stood behind it. When he growled, Duo just whined and tried to create more friction between their bodies.   
  
"What?" Heero snapped, though the harsh tone of voice and words barely broke through Duo's lust filled mind.   
  
"Heero, we're hear to pick you up for dinner," Quatre's voice stated boldly from the other side of the door. It softened into concern though as he spoke again. "Are you okay Heero, your breath sounds ragged."  
  
"Hn. We'll be down soon," the blue-eyed boy stated gruffly. Duo saw his lover glance down at him and he bucked his hips upwards, whimpering. The prince smirked and pressed his own hips down and ground them in circle, causing the braided youth to moan as his eyes rolled back. Heero's smirk widened and he pressed three fingers against the other boy's lips lightly, they were instantly swallowed into Duo's warm mouth.  
  
There was a short pause and then Trowa spoke. "Heero, now."  
  
"No." Heero's voice was sharp and deadly, or would have been if his breath had not been coming jaggedly and he had not been fighting to keep control of his body during the conversation. He had slipped his fingers from Duo's mouth and now moved them down between the other youth's legs. His index finger made slow circles around the tight ring until he felt his lover relax and then he drove the digit into the boy's body.  
  
"Heero, Wufei's going to get really mad," Quatre warned from safely behind the door.  
  
"Let him," the prince growled as he bent down and licked at the junction between Duo's neck and shoulder, causing the boy to squirm once again and bend his head to present his neck and more space for the teen above him. Another growl escaped Heero's lips as he stared down at the slender neck presented to him and he added a second finger to the first, then started to make scissoring motions to stretch the braided boy.  
  
"Heero." Trowa's voice was as hard as his brother's, with no room for question...for a normal person.  
  
The prince didn't answer, as he heard whispers from behind the door. Not bothering to figure out what the couple was saying, he focused his attention on Duo. "Duo," he rumbled as he nuzzled the other boy's neck, adding his third finger and starting to make thrusts into the teen's body. "I want you Duo," he stated before he licked the two holes that were already there. "You taste so good. Can I take you?" he moaned, his tongue swirling circles around each of the puncture marks.   
  
Duo could only moan blissfully and wriggle under his Master helpless. "Yes. Please," he nearly begged, turning his head to the side even more. "Master, please."  
  
Heero growled as he withdrew his fingers from his lovers body and covered his erection with what saliva was left. As he pressed the head of his member to Duo's opening and leaned into Duo's pale neck, he felt his change take place and his wings materialized once again as his canines extended.  
  
"Twenty minutes Heero. That's all that you have," Quatre stated. His words were lost to the two inside the room who had completely forgotten about the outside world.  
  
"So beautiful," he stated before thrusting into and biting into the smaller boy's neck for the second time, his teeth entering the same holes as they had the first time.   
  
Duo couldn't help but whimper as Heero's manhood entered his body, but the pleasure of his Master's teeth being sunken into his neck quickly over rode any pain that he was feeling as his body hurriedly adjusted to the prince being inside of him. A cry of pleasure fled Duo's lips as Heero thrust further into him and hit his prostate. "Master...ohhh..." Duo moaned, his eyes shut as he let the waves of bliss wash over his body. All he could feel was his Master's pleasurable feeding and the pulsing member inside of his body. A whimper escaped his lips as Heero pulled out of him, though he was still attached to Duo's neck. The disappointment was soon forgotten as his Master slammed back into his body forcefully, hitting his pleasure spot, hard. "Master!" He cried out, the pleasure distracting him from the fact that the said boy's fangs had withdrawn from his neck, but it wasn't missed for long as he felt soft licks on his neck, lapping up the last of the escaping dribbles of blood.   
  
"You taste wonderful," Heero moaned as he pulled away from the braided boy's neck. Their eyes met as the prince pulled almost all of the way out of Duo's body and thrust back into him. "Ahh...Duo, you're amazing," he growled. He blinked and Duo could see the sharpness his eyes escalate, the possessiveness taking over. "You're." Heero withdrew once again. "Mine," he snarled as he shoved back into the smaller boy's body. "Only mine," he growled as he ground his hips against Duo's roughly. He had let go of the violet-eyed teen's wrists sometime earlier, though they stayed exactly where he had held them, and now held the boy's hips tightly as he continued to thrust into him.   
  
All that Duo could do was moan wordlessly as his Master filled his entire body with blinding pleasure. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that his Master was hurting him, that he was going to have bruises on his hips and wrists, but he didn't care, all that mattered was the almost choking desire that flooded his mind and body. He could feel the curling in his stomach as his pleasure spot was constantly hit and he whimpered blissfully as his Master's hand left one of his hips and curled around his cock, stroking it gently yet roughly in time with the almost violent thrusts. His Master's hand pumped him four times and then he screamed wordless and came hard, his essence spilling over his and his Master's stomach, as well as his Master's hand. His inner tissues clamped around the member inside of him, trying to trap it. There were two more thrusts until he heard his Master grunt his name and the claiming fluids spilled inside of his body.  
  
Duo's Master collapsed on top of him, just barely catching himself on his elbows and keeping from crushing the braided boy. After catching himself though, he let himself drop the last two inches onto Duo's chest lightly. Both of their bodies glistened with sweat and their breathing was heavy and came quickly. "You're mine," Heero growled as he rolled onto his side and his wings wrapped around both of their naked bodies. "Mine," he stated once again before leaning down and kissing Duo deeply. When he pulled away his breath was a little bit more controlled if anything and when the chestnut-haired boy looked into his Master's ice-blue eyes they had lost a small bit of their wildness, indicating that Heero had gotten a little bit more control of himself.   
  
"Master..." Duo breathed as he pressed his body closer to the boy who held him. "I love you Master," he stated somewhat timidly, though he had no idea why he was nervous about the confession, he had said it before. But now it was almost like he was afraid of being hit for having done or said something wrong. Duo shook his head into Heero's chest. 'Get a hold of yourself Duo. What is the matter with you. You're not acting like yourself. You're acting like a slave,' he chide himself mentally before sighing loudly and then letting himself relax. "Heero..."   
  
There were a few moments of silence when the two laid in the embrace comfortably. Heero was the first to speak.   
  
"Duo, we have to go to dinner," he stated, his voice didn't sound that convincing though so Duo didn't move from his position and neither did Heero. "We really need to go." Now it sounded more like the prince was trying to convince himself that they needed to get out of bed instead of convincing Duo.  
  
"But I'm tireed," Duo mumbled. His ever relaxing muscles were obvious proof of the statement. "I wanna stay here."  
  
Another few minutes of silence.   
  
"We have to get up." Heero's voice sounded somewhat normal and Duo knew that the prince was almost in full control of himself again. "There's a lot to discuss before tomorrow. A lot of questions that need to be answered and that all of us need to hear."  
  
"Okay," Duo said as he pushed away from Heero who retracted his wings in a flourish of white feathers. The braided boy then scooted over to the side of the bed and threw his legs over the edge. His mind was still fogged from what they had just done, and there was no doubt that he was truly tireed, giving his blood away wasn't something that didn't come without a toll. In fact, he actually felt a little light headed. And not to mention sore. 'Deal with it Duo. He told you that you're going to dinner. That means that you have to get up and get dressed.' As backup for the teen's mental statement, Heero spoke again.  
  
"Come on Duo, get dressed."  
  
With a soft grunt, Duo pushed himself away from the bed and started to shuffled around for his clothes. It seemed like forever until he found them and slipped them on, though he ended up not putting on the shirt at all because his wings were still folded in a cloak around him and the shirt didn't have holes in the back to let him pull it around. When he was pulling the pants up he could see that dark marks had already started to form where Heero's hands had held him, not only on his hips, but as predicted, his wrists as well. Heero must have noticed them also because he was suddenly next to Duo, holding his hands gently in his own and turning his wrists around to get a good look at them.   
  
"Duo...I didn't mean to...I'm sorry that I..."  
  
"Really. Don't worry Heero. It didn-" Duo's throat constricted, not allowing him to say the last of his sentence. He tried again. "It really didn-" Again he was cut off. He could lie to Heero. He couldn't say that it hadn't hurt. For a moment he could feel desperate frustration clawing at his insides and he had to blink back tears. He felt so trapped. He knew that he didn't want to lie to Heero, but if it would make Heero feel better than he should be able to. Duo just wanted to make sure that Heero didn't get upset. 'Now I'm just making myself upset. This is pathetic.'  
  
"Duo. I'm sorry. You should have stopped me." Heero's voice was low, and his eyes were soft as they met Duo's straight on. "You should have stopped me," he repeated before taking the braided teen into a soft embrace.   
  
Duo shook. He didn't know why, but he did. His entire body trembled when Heero held him and he didn't have the control to stop it. Why was he so weak? Why couldn't he just hold up his mask and façade around the cobalt-eyed boy? 'Because you can't lie to him. He's your Master and you can't lie to him in any way,' his mind supplied helpfully, though he didn't care for the information. He was still upset with himself for being so weak. "I...I'm..." The sentence trailed away into silence as he continued to trembled in Heero's arms.   
  
"Shhh...come one Duo. I'm sorry. I promise that dinner won't last long," Heero whispered softly, his arms tightening a small degree around the chestnut-haired boy. "Are you okay Duo?"  
  
"I...Ye-" The braided youth took a shaky breath and shook his head in Heero's chest. He wasn't okay. He was scared out of his wits. He was losing his control and his mind. If he could even hold his mask up in front of Heero then everything was going to crumble and fall apart. Heero wouldn't like him anymore and would just use him like a weapon. And hurt him. And yell at him. A strangled sob escaped Duo's parted lips. He loved Heero. The thought of the other boy hitting him and yelling at him scared him even more.  
  
"Duo. Calm down Duo. Everything's okay. Can you go to dinner?" The prince asked softly, rubbing a hand in slow circles on Duo's back.  
  
The violet-eyed teen nodded. He knew that his Master wanted him to go to dinner and that meant that he had to go. "Ye-yeah," he hiccuped into his Master's shirt. 'He's Heero. Not Master. He's Heero,' Duo tried to mentally convince himself. He was truly losing control. His mind was starting to warp towards being a complete slave. "Master..."  
  
"Duo? What's the matter?"  
  
"Master...Heero," Duo's voice became shrill as he said the prince's name, then dropped dramatically as he said the last bit. "I'm scared."  
  
"It's okay Duo. I'm with you. Okay?" Heero wondered as he scooped the other boy up into his arms and walked out of the room. "I'm sorry that I have to take you to dinner Duo. There's no other way though. Quatre's leaving tomorrow."  
  
Duo hiccuped once again and clung to Heero's shirt like a lost child. "Quatre's leaving?" He asked in a small, confused voice that was completely different from what it normally was. It surprised Heero so much that he actually stopped walking and looked down at the boy in his arms, then, after a minute, continued to walk.  
  
"Yes. He has to get back to his own kingdom now that war is starting," the prince explained. "We're almost there Duo. Do you want to eat or do you just want to go into the library?"  
  
"Wh-whatever you want to do," Duo stated timidly, his face still buried into Heero's chest. His body was still shaking, though it was less than when it had started.  
  
"I think that the library would be better." Heero's voice wasn't too focused, he was talking to himself again. "Okay Duo?" He asked, looking down at the black clad boy in his arms who didn't respond. "Are you awake Duo?"  
  
There was a pause and then a small, "Yes," and Duo shifted in Heero's arms to proved that indeed he was.   
  
"Is the library okay with you?"  
  
"Whatever you want to do."  
  
Heero sighed and then kicked the door open to the dinning room. His three friends sat at the table and instantly looked up at him. All of their eyes widened, and Quatre's jaw went slack, at the site of Heero caring a trembling Duo into the room.  
  
"Can we just get this over with in the library?" Heero ask gruffly. His features reflected his annoyance and worry as he glared at the other three in the room. As he stared at them he started to get angry. How dare they make Duo come down here and answer all of these questions. Especially when Duo was in such a fragile condition. But the ever reasonable side of his mind told him that it was necessary for the questions to be answered, and that it was his choice completely whether Duo went anywhere. There was no possible way that the others could force Duo or him to do anything.   
  
Quatre nodded mutely, then finally found his voice. "Yes. The library would probably be a lot more reasonable of a place to talk. Do you want to bring food in there?" He wondered, not able to ignore the fact that he was hungry.   
  
The dark-haired prince looked down at the bundle in his arms and nodded. "Hn. I'll have somebody get food once we get to the library. Let's go." Heero turned around without waiting to hear or see the reaction from the other three, and started to walk to the library. The sound of wood grating against wood, though, told him that they were indeed following him.  
  
Once Heero got to the library he immediately took his usual seat at the end of the small oak coffee table, Duo still in his arms. When he looked up at the door, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei were just starting to enter. None of them looked up at him as they took their seats and waited silently for the blue-eyed youth to talk first. Heero took note of this and his arms around Duo tightened as he spoke. "I think that we all know why we're here. We discussed earlier that we needed to continue our previous conversation, and as suggested, Duo is here as well. He's willing to answer any and all questions. Would anybody like to start out with a statement or question?"   
  
"Are you alright Duo?" Quatre asked, the concern obvious in his voice. At the moment he had lost all thought about the informational questions he had memorized, the blond was truly worried for his friend.  
  
Duo hiccuped softly into Heero's chest and fidgeted. Slowly he pulled himself up into a sitting position in the prince's lap. Heero's hands slid down around his waist and pulled him further up so that Duo was seated sideways, his legs folded over Heero's, his hands laying in his lap by Heero's shirt, letting him play with the material. The position left him in a perfect position to rest his head on Heero's shoulder like before, but allowing him to also look at the others so that he could address any of the three, or four, people who asked him questions. "I'll live," he answered, producing a grin for the blond's sake. With Heero in the room he still couldn't lie. 'I don't know that though. Maybe if it's somebody else asking me a question then I can. At least I can make facial expressions without having them considered a lie. Or at least I can for now.'  
  
Quatre smiled back at him though his eyes showed that he was still worried, and that he knew that something was not right. For a moment the braided boy wondered how the blond could know him so well and mentally slapped himself when he remembered that the blond could feel the emotions of others. He was sure that Quatre could feel his nervousness and fright. At least he wasn't saying anything for the moment though.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Duo forced himself to smile wider and to make it more relaxed so that he wasn't so blatantly on edge. "So what do you all want to know?" He wondered as his gaze flickered from one boy to the next in nervous anticipation for the first real question to be asked.  
  
As he suspected, Wufei was the first to open his mouth and ask. "Did you know that Heero was your Master?"  
  
Duo nodded, his eyes not meeting the sorcerer's. "Yeah."  
  
"When did you know?" The black-haired boy questioned.  
  
The chestnut-haired boy looked at the floor. "When he first touched me. When he smashed me against the wall. It was the hole lightening thing."  
  
There was a pause in the room after he answered and the teen looked up, confusion written on his face. Had he just said something wrong? Why was everybody so quiet? And why had Heero just tensed a little bit? After a moment though, the room relaxed and Trowa asked him the next question.  
  
"So you know about the legend?" The copper-haired adolescent pondered.  
  
Duo shifted in Heero's lap and nodded. "Yeah. I learned about it from Sister Helen and Father Maxwell when I lived in the Church orphanage. They told me about it all."  
  
"You knew what you were?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Uh-hu. When I was really little they explained it to me."  
  
There was a short pause and when Quatre spoke again his voice was hesitant. "How did they find out about it?" He wondered softly, knowing that he was treading on thin ice.  
  
Duo nibbled his bottom lip and took a deep, shaky breath before answering. "They recognized the 'symptoms'. I guess that's what you would call it. After I killed my best friend Solo they couldn't deny it anymore and they told me," he explained softly, his eyes concentrated intently on his fingers that picked at the hem of Heero's shirt.   
  
Another silent hesitation filled the room but was short lived before another question was thrown out. "What had happened to you in the forest?" Trowa asked, his voice also soft. The others had been sobered by Duo's latest confession and were now making sure to be gentle, sure that other answers would be bad as well.  
  
The braided boy started to shake at the memories that flooded his mind as the question was asked and he pressed his body closer to Heero's. He picked at the shirt more violently. He didn't want to answer the question. All he wanted to do was to forget about it all. So far he had been doing so well as to not remember any of it, or most of it. And now they had to go up and pull this?   
  
"Duo?" Heero asked, his voice softly prodding for the answer to the question and Duo felt himself start to speak without having thought about it.  
  
"One of Relena's guards tried to kill me and when I woke up I started to walk away. I don't know how far I got, but I eventually passed out."  
  
"Why did one of Relena's guards try to kill you?" Wufei inquired before Heero could open his mouth to ask the exact same thing.   
  
"I don't know. But she knew what I was. It's always been like that though. Ever since I was in the Sanq Kingdom I had closer run ins with guards and soldiers and more vicious pursuits and persistent than anybody else that I knew," he explained, an entirely knew wave of emotions and pictures flying through his mind.   
  
"You don't know any reason that she might want to kill you? How long were her guards after you? How were they more persistent with you than anybody else?"  
  
"I don't know why. And...ever since I was in Sanq..." The braided youth started to shake again, the memories too strong for him not to be filled with fear as he watched them replay themselves in his mind.  
  
"How long were you in Sanq?...Duo? Are you alright?" Quatre wondered, his voice urgent for an answer.  
  
Duo proceeded to tremble against Heero, who held him tighter. "I-I went to Sanq when I was...I don't know...Sister Helen and-and Father Maxwell were in Sanq...the soldiers that were looking for me..." his voice was small now and he clung to the end of Heero's shirt like a lifeline as everything came rushing back.  
  
//"Sister Helen? I don't know what happened to him," Duo said, his voice tinted with concern. "I think Solo's sick."  
  
"Oh? Why would you say that?"//  
  
The braided boy shook harder as he buried his head in Heero's chest, unable to stop himself from remembering it all.   
  
//"What's the matter with Solo? He's gonna be alright. Right? I mean, nothing bad ever happens to Solo because he's the best. You said it yourself Father Maxwell. You said that Solo and I would grow up and be a great team. Right?...Father Maxwell?...Why are you crying? What happened to Solo? He's alright. Right? He's gonna be alright? He just took a nap like that other kid?"  
  
"Duo...he...Solo...Solo died."//  
  
Duo's whimper was muffled by the dark-haired boy's chest, but it reached the other's ears none the less as they watched in helpless horror as the chestnut-haired boy broke down.  
  
//Flames licked the walls of the room as the three of them huddled in the middle. Sister Helen and Father Maxwell were on either side of him, holding him, trying to protect him from the burning rubble that had started to fall from the wooden ceiling. There was not a single opening without flames. Orange fire surrounded them and throughout it all Father Maxwell was telling him that he had to be strong and go on without them. Sister Helen had tears tracking down her face as she took the cross from around her neck and hooked it around Duo's.   
  
"Father Maxwell's right Duo. You have to be strong."  
  
Duo was crying. He was afraid by what they were telling him, and confused at what was going on. The flames hurt as well. His emotions took over though and he didn't notice when the flames didn't burn his skin any longer.  
  
"Duo. Be strong. You have to be strong for us. For Solo. For all of the others. Try to make the right decision. We know that you'll do what's right when the time comes."  
  
The seven year old cried harder and he clutched both of them as they kneeled around him, their heads bent over his short, thin, frightened figure. He didn't understand what was going on. Why were Father Maxwell and Sister Helen telling him that he was going to have to be alright with being alone? Why had Sister Helen given him her cross? Suddenly there was a loud crash and one of the ceiling beams fell down, right on across Father Maxwell's back. The man didn't even make a sound, but the sickening crack of bones reached Duo's ears, even as Sister Helen spun him away from the scene and clutched him to her chest. She too was crying.  
  
"Be strong for us Duo. We'll always be with you. You have to know that. We know that you're strong. You'll be okay on your own. You have to believe it. Promise me that you won't look back when you leave. That you'll always be strong."  
  
Duo stared up at her pale gray eyes as the fire swooped forward and started to engulf both of them. The woman gave a cry of pain, but she continued to clutch Duo. "Promise me Duo."  
  
The child continued to cry and gave a startled scream as he threw him back when part of the room caved down on her. When Duo crawled back to her, her lower body was completely covered by heavy beams and fire licked at her nun's dress. Her face was twisted in pain and each breath was obvious effort.   
  
"Promise me," she gasped."  
  
Duo begged her to stop talking. To save her breath. And tried to tell her that everything would be alright.   
  
"Promise me Duo," she pleaded.  
  
Mindlessly, Duo promised. Over and over again he promised her that he would be strong as long as she saved her breath. He buried his face against her chest and when he pulled away and looked at her face again, her eyes were dull, the spark completely gone. The roof had completely collapsed and yet he remained unscathed. Standing up, Duo looked around, his tears already burned away. Flames still licked the wood pile around him and his eyes caught Father Maxwell's face in the burning rubble, yet he couldn't bring himself to cry anymore as he looked up as saw, through the flames, a dozen or so Sanq soldiers surrounding the burning heap that had been the Maxwell Church. //  
  
"I-I just kneeled d-down by S-Sister H-Helen again and s-sat in the fl-flames and waited. The s-so-soldiers were t-too sc-scared to come and g-get me after th-the flames went away. I-I s-sat there until dark and th-then left. I...I...I never di-did look back. Ju-just like S-S-Sister Helen made me pr-promise," Duo explained as he trembled violently in Heero's arms, tears running down his face and soaking into the prince's shirt.  
  
The room was completely silent. 


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Chapter - 21  
  
Dorothy rode hard down the trail, the Prydain Kingdom had come into sight and she only had a short distance to cover before she pulled her steed to a quick stop by one of the walls. Evening had already fallen and she had made sure that the growing shadows had kept her out of any eyes that may have been open and watching. Her horse gleamed orange and purple with the dying embers of the sun as he breathed heavily, white saliva dripping from his mouth. The blond Huntress patted the beast on the side of the neck and whispered encouraging words as she dismounted. After he had settled down and started to breathe normally once again the girl whispered a few more words into his ear and he lowered his head and started to graze on the grass at the base of the wall.   
  
"Good boy. I'll be back soon. Stay here," she sighed softly, patting the copper colored horse's neck once more. A soft whinny escaped the animal and a small smirk graced the blond's blood red thin lips. "Time to hunt," she breathed to herself as she made her way to the gate. Her foot stepped on a twig as she approached, not unintentionally.   
  
"Who's there?" The low voice of a male Vampire guard called out.  
  
The girl remained silent but her horse whinnied and stomped his foot impatiently off from the side.  
  
"Hello? Who's out there? Do you need anything?" The same voice called. Footsteps could be heard coming towards the center of the gate, there was also the familiar sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard.   
  
The man didn't make a sound as Dorothy landed silently behind him and stuck a dagger in his back, quickly twisting it and withdrawing it, knocking him over the head and throwing the body to the ground with a soft thud. "Pathetic."   
  
"David?" Another Vampire called from the shadows to the left. "Who's out there? I know you're there. Show yourself-" the man was cut off as a wood covered dagger landed in his heart. His sword that had already been drawn, fell from his loose grip and clattered to the ground, his lifeless body soon joining the weapon in the dirt.  
  
The Huntress casually walked over and kicked the body over onto it's back. Stepping on the man's stomach she leaned down and pulled the weapon out of his chest and wiped the bloodied dagger on her pants and grinned as she slunk through the dark streets. Her grin widened and her eyes sparkled, despite the darkness of night. "I'm coming demon. Just wait a little while longer."  
  
- - - - -   
  
Once Duo calmed down his grip on Heero's shirt loosened, but he stayed in the same position, taking comfort in the fact that the prince's arms were still wrapped around him. The memories had slowly faded back into his mind, behind their surface cover, leaving him frightened and cold in his lover's arms. He would have been exhausted if it hadn't been for the fact that he had just gotten up from a long nap an hour or so ago, and he knew that he hadn't answered all of the questions that had been made ready to ask him. "I'm okay now," he mumbled into Heero's shoulder, knowing that the other boy heard him, if not for any of the other stunned people in the room. "I'm okay," he stated once again. He knew it was true but he was still trying to reassure himself more than informing Heero of how his condition was. The braided boy took a shaky breath as a hand massaged soft circles into his back. "What's the next question?" He wondered, wanting to get everything done as soon as possible. There wasn't much doubt that they were going to ask about more recent things. That would include his visit to Relena's castle and the trip to the woods.   
  
"Are you sure you're okay Duo?" Heero whispered into his ear softly, still rubbing his back.  
  
The violet-eyed youth drew in another trembling breath. "Yeah. I just want to get this over with," he assured.  
  
Heero nodded. "Okay then. I agree." Duo could feel the prince turn to look at the others and nod that things were okay. "He's ready for another question."  
  
"How did you survive the fire?" Quatre wondered, the amazement evident in his voice.   
  
Duo scooted up, with some of Heero's held, so the he could rest his forehead in the crook made by the prince's shoulder and neck, his face open to the others so that he could talk, but his bloodshot eyes were still focused completely on his hands alone. "I don't know. I assume that it's because of what I am though. Fire never has hurt me..." He remembered waking up and staring at his sword wound. "Nothing really has killed me."  
  
"To go back to more resent things," Wufei stated. "You are sure that you don't have any idea why Relena would want you? It is obvious that she, if not her parents, had their eyes on you because of how much you suffered even at a very young age." The sorcerer stated smoothly, bringing forth a very good point.  
  
"I don't know. I've tried to figure it out more than once. I just don't know. She has something against me. But how am I suppose to know what it is? Just because I control lives and people doesn't mean that I know why they do everything!" He explained, his voice raising in pitch and volume with each sentence.   
  
"Calm down Duo. It's okay. I'm right here," Heero's soothed softly, his voice for the chestnut-haired boy's ears alone. He paused and then he asked a question that seemed to have just dawned on him. "Did Relena see you at dinner?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"How do you know that?" Wufei wondered.  
  
Duo licked his lips and then went on with the answer. "Because I could feel it. I could feel the way that she got angry and was her emotions changed to hate. It was there throughout dinner."  
  
"You can feel emotions?"  
  
"Well...its weird. I can do it sometimes, yeah, I guess. I don't really know if I can do it all of the time. But it was really strong though. Maybe it's because I've met her before and I know what her emotions are like though. So that would be on explanation. But I'm not really sure. But yeah, I guess that I'm not really sure about anything," Duo explained. He wondered if the others had understood him, considering that he had barely understood himself. "Can you guys get that at all?"  
  
Quatre nodded encouragingly. "Of course. It's like that with me all the time. If I meet somebody once and feel their emotions it becomes a lot easier to sense them and to do it again when I see them a second time. It's just after the first meeting though, and I can completely control it now. Don't worry though, it's not like it gets easier and easier all the time until their just in your mind. It doesn't work like that. If it did then I don't think that empaths would be able to stay sane for very long." The blond boy chuckled softly and smiled. "Really Duo, it's a natural thing."  
  
The braided boy shrugged and shiver visibly, for show basically. "I know. But still. I mean, it's Relena. I don't want to be able to sense her period. No matter what. Nada. Nothing. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Squash."  
  
Across the room Quatre rolled his eyes. "Well, just learn that that's never going to happen Duo. Never. You may look at it as something horrible, but it's actually pretty useful."  
  
Duo grinned mischievously. "And I can image that it can be pretty damn fun too!"  
  
"Away from that topic for the moment, I think that we all need and want to know more about your power Duo."  
  
The teen nodded in knowing agreement. "Okay...I'll answer what I can, but I don't know that much. Unless, you just want me to explain what I do know."  
  
Nods came from everybody in the room and Heero nudged him encouragingly.  
  
"Okay then...well...I don't know how well this is all going to go and everything. But I'll do my best with explaining. I know that I'm like, the God of Death and that I can take people's life without having to touch them. I know that the legends and books say that I do, but I've actually learned that I don't. And then I know about my Master, obviously. Heero controls me, for the most part. I say the most part because if he's really lenient then I can do more. Or at least that seems what it's like right now. I...hm...I have to do what he tells me to, but I don't need to wait for an order for everything, it's only stuff that I get kinda paranoid about and stuff that I know...I don't really think that I can explain this perfectly or anything. For a better way to say it, I have to do what he tells me to and I can't lie in front of him. If he told me not to lie at all then I never would be able to. But, that's what the books say again...that's changed. I don't lie at all." For a moment the boy paused and then continued.   
  
"I have before, but I don't know what makes those special times or something. Or maybe they weren't real lies. I also know that when I want to use it I'm really strong and can beat a Vampire actually. I didn't know that until I fought with John. And that, I think, was partial help of Wufei's dragon."  
  
"Nataku?! What did you do to her!" The sorcerer demanded, nearly getting out of his seat.  
  
Duo couldn't help but let a smile flicker at the other boy's irritation. "I didn't do anything to her. She though...she tried to kill me more than once and then clawed me in the neck. It kinda spurred my supper strength or whatever you want to call it now. And, I've also learned from..." he drifted off and for a moment the teen's eyes lost focus as he watched something in the past. When he blinked and came back, he shivered. "When I either get mad or feed my eyes glow. Or...at least that's what I assume from people's reactions. But other than that, I don't really know anything more about my powers."  
  
"And your ability to feel emotions and block your mind," Quatre added helpfully.  
  
The violet-eyed boy nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I kinda forgot about that I guess. But I think that that's it. Unless I'm forgetting anything else that I should mention? I mean, I know that the books say a lot and stuff but I don't think that I know how to do any of that stuff. Or at least not yet. You know though, it'll all probably come into play later. Maybe if somebody teaches me or I have a real use for it or something, probably like an instinct. Like when I sensed that girl," Duo stated.  
  
"What about when you sensed who?" Wufei asked.  
  
"When I sensed Relena's body guard. She made me really sick and I made a mental wall and blocked her aura, I guess that's what I'll call it, from my mind," the braided boy explained.   
  
Trowa perked up at the comment and asked the next question. "So you could tell what she was?"   
  
Duo shifted in his lover's lap. "Well, I could tell that she made me sick and I could constantly feel her presence, even after I built the wall, it just wasn't as intense. But no, I couldn't tell what she was." After he said that his eyes narrowed slightly and he looked around at the others in the room. "Do you guys all know what she is?"  
  
"You didn't feel any resistance to sensing her?" The sorcerer wondered, without answering Duo's question.  
  
Calming himself down before he got angry Duo simply shook his head. "Nope. I didn't. If there were any spells preventing it," he stared at Wufei, "then I didn't feel them. It was as though she was any other person in the room, except for the fact that she was nearly making me throw up and nobody else was. But I guess that that's life. Right?"  
  
Wufei didn't mind the fact that Duo was staring at him intently, eyes narrowed a little bit in a calculating way. He just nodded at Duo's explanation and didn't offer anything else as leverage for the teen to get any information from.   
  
The prince's hand on his back was continuously rubbing in small circles to keep the violet-eyed boy calm, not only when he was talking about things that may bother him, but like at the moment, things that were getting a little to vague to seem fair, even though they all knew that Duo didn't necessarily need to be bargained with to give his information away. Duo let his eyes slide away from Wufei and rest on the large oak doors across the room. He sighed softly and let his body relax against his lover's and concentrated on the soft, warm hand gliding along his spine. Soon this would be over with and he would be able to get some real rest.   
  
'Not that I'm tiered or anything. I've been sleeping too much for it to be healthy. Maybe I'll ask Heero if I can go get something to eat in the kitchen. Ms. Crawford must be worrying her head off about me having not come in for lunch the other day, and after she saw that I was so enthusiastic about the food. I hope that she doesn't think that I got in trouble for cutting the wood. Ungh, that would just be one more thing on my plate that I would have to explain and deal with. I really hope that she's not worried though-' Duo's thoughts cut off when he realized that Heero had started to talk.  
  
"Wufei did set spells up in the castle so that people wouldn't be able to sense that girl. That's why he's wondering if you felt any resistance."  
  
"But why-"  
  
"Because it has been rumored that Relena's bodyguard is a Hunter," Heero stated in a low voice. The prince's hand was still working along Duo's back as the youth stiffened. "You're sensing her and getting the reaction that you did not only tells us that you're immune to at least, sense blocking spells, but also that she is indeed a Hunter. We wouldn't have been able to find out on our own without dropping the spell or having her notice what we were doing," the dark-haired boy explained, his voice still hushed, just loud enough so that the other three besides Duo could hear him.  
  
'Oh, this is just wonderful. Everything gets better every minute.' "I thought that Hunters were gone. Extinct. Not in existence anymore. Or at least, you know. Controlled or something at the most. Do you think that there are a lot of them? That they're working with Relena in some way or something? Wouldn't that be really bad now that you're all at war? And what if there are enough Hunters that they want to make their own Kingdom. Doesn't that just spell 's-h-i-t' for you guys? Or, at least, Heero. It's not like I didn't hear or notice that the Kingdom's practically 99% Vampires. Right? But I thought that Hunters also went after the Magical sometimes, so it wouldn't be like Q wouldn't get his fair share of trouble. And if you guys were pulled in directions of fighting each other then it'd be like...fuck man. It's basically all for one man, because think about it. Once the Hunters, saying if they do have enough people to make a Kingdom. But once they start fighting their not going to be staying under Relena's rule forever and they'll go against her too. That's four races all against each other." When Duo stopped to take a deep breath the other's were just staring at him blankly and he wondered if they had even caught a drift of what he had been talking about.  
  
Trowa snorted at the same time that Heero grunted and Quatre could obviously not hold back a grin. "It seems that Duo's not nearly as slow or behind in everything as we might have thought. I think that he just spelled out all of our problems right there, not to mention making a few more up," the blond stated, still smiling to an extent.  
  
"Well Duo, you do seem to have a wonderful grasp of everything that's going on. How many conversations have you eve's dropped on that I haven't caught you at?" Heero wondered, his voice soft to show that he was just joking around, but Duo could still feel his cheeks turning red.  
  
"I really didn't eve's drop on a lot. You caught me at all of them. It's just that when I started thinking about it all, it just all seemed that it added up to be a lot more then a little dispute between you and Relena. And if you add Hunters and everything and, not to forget me too, it's all a lot to deal with. One would be amazed that everybody has lasted this long in all of it. I think if I were you I'd go crazy from the beginning. I really don't understand how all of you can take the pressure-"  
  
"Shut up already!" Wufei exclaimed exasperatedly, his black eyes rolling dramatically. Quatre laughed out loud and earned a hard glare in response. "Really. I find it amazing that you can talk that much without breathing and still be alive today! It's also wonderfully amazing that you don't down rightly turn blue!"  
  
Duo stared at the black-haired boy, his jaw slack. Quickly though, it turned into a smile and he joined Quatre in restrained laughter until Heero gave a sharp tug on his braid and he threw a hand over his mouth to stop himself from continuing. Diagonal him, Wufei just sat back in his chair and glared sulkingly. One could almost say that he was pouting. The smaller prince must have seen it too because he joined Duo as they burst out again, causing the sorcerer's eyes to narrowed even more so than they already were. "Shut up! Both of you!" The black-haired teen shouted, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.   
  
Heero pulled on Duo's braid once again, but this time he couldn't stop laughing. There was another tug and again the braided boy couldn't bring himself to quiet down. Finally, his head was suddenly pulled back, and with a startled cry his entire body to fell back across the chair. The blue-eyed prince took the chance to bend down and press his lips against the braided boy's. It was a quick kiss but did what it was meant to do, as when Heero pulled back, Duo was silent, his violet eyes still wide in shock as he stared up at his lover. After a moment a grin started to form on his slack face and he started to scoot back up again to steal another kiss. His lover simply rolled his eyes as though to tell Duo that he was hopeless, and with a strong hand, pushed down on his chest, holding Duo in place where he already was. Giving up, the braided boy just relaxed back and laid in Heero's lap, eventually turning his head to look at everybody else.  
  
His smile widened when it looked as though Quatre had been quieted in very much the same way as Duo had because of the way the smaller blond sat, a little off balance in his seat, his widened eyes glued to Trowa who seemed to have never moved. Wufei had recomposed himself and was staring off to the side at a random corner silently. "Anyone got anymore questions?" He asked cheerfully, giving one more look over of the room.  
  
The question appeared to revive the room from whatever hypnosis trance-like state it had fallen into. Quatre coughed softly and fixed his shirt, which Duo had just notice, was slightly crumpled. Most likely due to Trowa grabbing him into a kiss to stop his laughing. Wufei also coughed and was able to bring his eyes back to the group. Trowa simply blinked and Heero's hands relaxed over Duo and he started to glide his fingers over the youth's body that lay underneath him.   
  
"Questions?" Duo asked again. His eyelids drifted down as his muscles calmed under Heero's ministrations and he started to purr contently. "Any?" He mumbled, not quite paying attention to if he got a response or not.  
  
Quatre shrugged nonchalantly. "Can you do any more mental power things? I mean, you can do the blocking of other minds, and even do that a little bit violently. Have you ever done anything more then that though? I mean, have you ever read anybody's mind or talked to people mentally. Have you ever tried? Maybe you could try now and see how it goes. I know that you said that you didn't know about any more powers that you had, but I really don't think that mental powers are all that hard to come by or to deal with. You could just try at least," he explained hurriedly, looking around to see what the others thought about his idea.  
  
Duo looked up at Heero and saw that he just shrugged, seeming indifferent, and then looked down at him. "What do you think Duo. Do you want to try it or not? I won't force you to do anything that you'll feel uncomfortable with doing or anything. Are you okay with this?"  
  
The braided boy shrugged as well. "Sure. I don't see what harm could be done. I mean, Quatre is the one with the mind powers here, he would know what it's like doing this. If he thinks that it's safe then it must be. There's no reason to doubt him," he stated, then turned to the blond prince. "So what should I try to do and what do I need to do in order to do it?" He asked.  
  
"You could try to talk to me through our minds, but that's usually pretty advanced. Why don't you just try to read what I'm thinking. That should be relatively easy because you can already sense people, it's just going a step beyond that. Just dig a little deeper and try to get into my mind. Do you understand that at all?" Quatre wondered. He looked doubtful towards the answer but Duo reassured him by grinning happily and nodding.  
  
"Okay. Lets do this!" He was just closing his eyes when he opened them back up and looked at Heero. "Eh? Could I sit up for this?" He wondered. The prince simply nodded and helped him into a sitting position. Duo rested his body against his lover's and closed his eyes once again.   
  
Since he couldn't feel Heero or Trowa he didn't have to bother with blocking them out, but he did have to bother with Wufei's sorcerer mind which intruded on his senses strongly. As he did with Relena's bodyguard during dinner, Duo focused first on building a wall in his mind to block Wufei's presence. Since he had some sort of clue about what he was doing this time, it didn't take much time or effort for him to quickly build it and block the sorcerer's mind from his. Next, he focus his thoughts completely on Quatre's conscious mind. When he magnified his concentration though, he felt another soft, tickling sensation of other minds, something that wasn't Quatre. Not wanting to take the time to build another wall, he simply ignored them and continued to intensify his concentration on the blond boy's mind. The tickling minds became louder and soon Duo couldn't block them out. He "faced" them and was starting to build his walls when he realized that the minds he felt were not only the minds of servants near by in the castle, but he could distinctly point out the personalities of Trowa. The shock of the familiarity threw Duo from his concentration and he found himself back in the physical library. He blinked hard a few times before everything came truly solid again.  
  
"Did you do it?" Heero asked from right beside him.  
  
Duo shook his head silently and then narrowed his eyes and inspected Heero's face, his head tilting slightly. How had he felt Trowa? He was a Vampire. He wasn't suppose to be able to sense Vampires.  
  
"Duo? Are you okay? What happened?"  
  
"Oh." Duo blinked again, startled, and then turned back around and looked at Quatre, and shrugged. "Well, I don't know if I could have done it. But the more that I concentrated the more I could feel other minds of people further and further away. I was going to build a wall to block them but...I felt Trowa. I've been able to sense Heero ever since I met him, and I think that that's because of our bond, but I've never sensed any other Vampires before. I'm not suppose to be able to do that. I know that I'm not suppose to. And it wasn't just Trowa, but I felt John somewhere too, and those two guys that were with you the first time that I burst out of the room when I woke up." He shook his head and lifted his hands and then dropped them back down limply to show, physically, that he was truly confused. "I shouldn't be able to do that should I?"  
  
"Are you sure it was him?" Heero asked, his arms tightening around Duo's waist as he drew him closer, if that was possible.  
  
The violet-eyed teen nodded and rested his head on the prince's shoulder. "I'm positive. As well as the others. I don't know how though. Maybe it's just because I was concentrating so hard."  
  
"You didn't seem to be concentrating all that hard," Wufei stated bluntly, staring at the braided boy unblinking. "I didn't feel any great increase in your magical body, not that you have anything very strong from the beginning," he added.  
  
Duo was about to protest to the rather rude comment when Quatre broke in.  
  
"I'm sorry but I have to agree with him Duo. I can feel other people's mind and a little bit of their magical power. I'm defiantly able to sense whether people are using their mind abilities. I didn't feel much, if anything, out of the normal for you. I have no clue what you just did. You might have stumbled onto some other dimensional thought. If that's even possible that is." Just as the blond finished his statement he groaned and rubbed his stomach. "Heero, I'm starving. As much as I think that this is fascinating, and don't think that I don't, it's the most wonderful thing that I've seen in ages. I haven't had anything to eat since lunch. And I don't think that we had all that big of a lunch." He paused and thought. "If we had lunch."  
  
Duo snickered softly. "Q, you sound beat. No wonder you can't think straight."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Oh, I got that much. You're a bundle of confusion at the moment. Not to mention hunger. I was waiting for you to bring that one up. I lost my own bet," he stated, grinning.  
  
"You're a wonder Duo," Quatre muttered and then turned his attention back to Heero. "I know that I'm leaving tomorrow. But we can always talk, you know that. If anything else comes up don't mind to call on me. But I really need to get something in my stomach and get some rest. I do have to leave rather early tomorrow."  
  
Heero nodded in agreement. "Of course Quatre. It is getting late. We'll say our good bye's tomorrow then. For now let's all get some rest. Feel free to have somebody get you dinner from the kitchen."  
  
"Thanks Heero."  
  
With that, Heero prodded Duo slightly and the braided boy quickly stood up, the prince soon stood beside him, a well muscled arm wrapped tightly around his waist. Despite the fact that he wasn't tiered, Duo still couldn't help closing his eyes and resting his head on Heero's shoulder once again. When the prince started to guide Duo forward he opened his eyes and lifted his head up, then let it drop back down. Wufei exited the room first and quickly disappeared down the hall, Quatre and Trowa were just ahead of Heero and him and when both couples got out the library door they turned to face each other.  
  
"Thanks for going along with all of this Duo. I know that it was hard for you," Quatre stated solemnly, both knew that he had felt every emotion that the braided teen had experienced through the entire meeting.   
  
Duo shrugged and grinned lazily. "No problem Q. Anything that I can do to help all of you guys get that bitch." Quickly he snapped his mouth shut and looked up at Heero to see what his reaction was going to be. The prince didn't seem to have been effected by the statement, he just squeezed Duo's side softly in an unspoken reassurance that he understood and would always be there. It was wonderful. "Guess we'll see you in the morning then. Hey, think we could get a bath in before you go? I mean, you don't wanna be cooped up in whatever transportation you have and be all smelly. Am I right?" He joked.  
  
The blond smiled kindly and chuckled. "You're right Duo. That would be great. But it just means that we have to get up earlier. Do you think that you'll be able to handle that?'  
  
"Me? Are you suggesting that I, Duo Maxwell, do not have the will power to get out of bed early? Oh, that's insulting. That's really low, really really really low," he quipped.   
  
"Not at all. I was referring to your invisible twin right beside you."  
  
Duo blinked and looked to his right, still grinning. His grin dissipated though as he saw that nothing was beside him and he turned back to the other boy and raised an eyebrow. "You okay Q? I think that you're seeing things. Think you've been in that guest bedroom a little bit too long. If you know what I mean," the braided youth joked and winked suggestively.   
  
"Duo!"  
  
"Baka," Heero muttered, pulling him away from the other couple. Duo could only assume that he had been talking with Trowa while Quatre and him had been teasing each other. He couldn't be quite sure though.   
  
"See ya tomorrow Q!" He called over his shoulder as he was turned in the opposite direction and him and his lover walked down the hallway towards Heero's bedroom. "Yo Heero?"  
  
"Hn?"  
  
"What new problems did I bring up? Quatre mentioned something about that. Right? I mean, I hope that I didn't totally ruin anything. I didn't mean to make things sound hopeless or anything. It's just that sometimes when I start talking it just all comes out and you know how I am. It's just...I really didn't mean to bring anything new up. I don't want you to be mad at me or anything. I was just pointing out stuff. And I don't know. I just don't-" Heero suddenly ducked down and pressed his lips against Duo's. His tongue flickered out and ran smoothly along Duo's bottom lip, asking for entrance. The braided moaned into Heero mouth, giving the prince the perfect advantage to thrust his tongue into Duo's warm cavern. For a while they dueled for dominance with Duo eventually letting Heero pull him against his body and plunder his mouth mercilessly while the prince's hands glided over his limp, black wings, drawing another moan from the violet-eyed boy. When the dark-haired teen pulled away both youth's were breathing heavily.   
  
"This is turning out to be a pretty good way to get you to be quiet," Heero stated huskily, his breath tickling Duo's ear, causing him to moan once again and willingly melt into the other's embrace. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes before Heero grunted, kissed Duo lightly on the lips once more and then they started back in the direction they had originally been going.  
  
The two were almost to Heero's door when a loud crash echoed from down the halls in the direction of Quatre and Trowa's room. Both could hear it perfectly despite the distance and thus they could also hear the loud shout of pain that followed it. Instantly they were running silently back down the halls towards Quatre's room. Heero gained the lead and immediately stopped as he rounded the corner that would bring the to the hallway where Quatre's room was. He didn't even wait for Duo to catch up to him before he sprinted forward.  
  
Duo rounded the corner just seconds after Heero and stopped, his eyes quickly taking in the horror before him. Trowa had been forcefully thrown against the stone wall, so hard in fact that the stone had broken where he had hit it. Afterwards he had slid, unconscious to the ground where he sat now, still oblivious to the world. Blood ran from the back and left side of his head, soaking into his off white shirt, as well as a few other scratches on his body. Quatre kneeled just in front of Trowa, his hands clasped his stomach where a dagger was buried. Blood spilled freely from his wound. His shirt and pants were completely soaked, his hands were entirely covered with the liquid, and a puddle had already started to form under him. It had all taken only a fraction of a second to process and Duo had almost just seen it as he tore his eyes away and searched the hallway and then turned to search the opposite hallway. He couldn't see anything, but he felt it. The same sickening, twisted aura of Relena's bodyguard.   
  
Instantly the teen took off down the hallway opposite to that of which Heero was down, starting to care for his friends. He didn't know if Heero called out for him or not, he wasn't paying attention, the only thing that Duo was focused on was the familiar Huntress' aura. 'Damn that bitch is going to pay,' he thought viscously as he ran.  
  
Duo soon found himself standing outside, not quite aware of how he got there, but still very aware of the Huntress in which he followed. 'Damn that girl. I can't believe that she did that to Trowa and Quatre,' the braided boy hissed in his mind. He could feel himself getting angry, ready to kill. His muscles tensed and his vision became clearer by an amazing percent, his hearing and smell also increased to degrees he hadn't experienced in years. He could all but envision every move that the Huntress was making, by the way his mind sharpened as well and his already focused senses became even clearer. "Damn bitch. I know that you're here," he muttered aloud. A twig snapped a ways away towards the wall of the castle and he instantly knew that it was her. As soon as he heard it he was running towards the sound. Now that he had heard her he could make out every noise that she was making. Down to the sound of her soft grunt as she jumped over the wall and leapt across the open street, landing hard on the roof of another building.   
  
'You're gonna die bitch,' he spat as he neared the wall. Without thinking he jumped and grabbed the lower limb of a tree, and, acting out the same stunt he had done the day that he had tried to escape, ran along the tree's branch and then leapt out to the wall. This time though, he used the speed he was going and didn't stop himself but just touched his feet against the wall long enough to quickly bunch his muscles and leap to the same rooftop that she had landed on. He could hear her running ahead of him and he followed without question. Knowing that it was most likely a trap, knowing that he was against all odds, and knowing that he was going to kill or be killed.  
  
He leapt across to three other buildings before Duo felt that the girl in front of him had stopped. He heard it too. Silence. Only his light breathing, as well as hers. Neither of them had been winded by the hard run. Neither of them were tiered. And neither of them was going to give up without a fight. To the death.   
  
"Impressive," a soft, feminine voice rang out through the dark, dry night. "I was looking forward to a challenge. If you fight anything like you chase then I'll be in for a little bit of exercise."  
  
"Bitch," Duo growled.  
  
"Oh, a little bit temperamental, are we? Well, I'll have to take advantage of Miss Relena's kindness of letting me have my way with you before I cut your head from your shoulders."  
  
"Just try to," the braided boy hissed, his voice deadly, unlike anything that it was normally.  
  
"Well, considering that you don't have a weapon. I will." There was a soft ring as the Huntress drew her sword from its sheath and then a shuffle as she got into her fighting stance. "You maybe a demon, but you are defenseless. I will kill you, for it is what Miss Relena wishes."  
  
As if perfectly timed and set just for the occasion, the clouds thinned and the light of the full moon shown through, giving just enough silvery light for the two opponents to see each other. "That bitch?" Duo wondered as he smirked. The moonlight shining just right that his eyes were covered in the darkness of night's shadows, but his thin, deadly lips were shown perfectly. He could feel the Huntress tense as he asked the question and he positioned himself in a fighting stance as well. "If that bitch wants me, I guess you'll have to get me."  
  
"How dare you!" The Huntress exclaimed as she rushed forward, her long blond hair tinting in the moonlight. She ran towards him, faster than normal Vampires, her sword had already been brought up and was crashing down when the sound of metal colliding with metal suddenly rang over the rooftops. Duo stood, just where he had been before, but now his arms were raised and he was holding a black steal scythe with a flaming green blade, against the Huntress' sword.   
  
  
  
  
TBC 


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Chapter 22 -   
  
The blond Huntress growled and her eyes narrowed as she stared at the point of contact between the two weapons. "Interesting," she muttered and shoved herself away, landing perfectly, facing him still in a fighting crouch.  
  
"Didn't expect that? Eh?" Duo asked sarcastically in a cold voice. 'Neither was I,' he thought. He held his scythe loosely in his hands, and despite the fact that it looked as though he would drop it at the slightest gust of wind; nothing could break his grip from the weapon's handle. "Bring it on bitch," he hissed, his fingers flexing around the dark pole in his hands.  
  
Without saying anything the girl lunged forward and made as though for a side slash then suddenly spun it up in the air and brought it down on the opposite side for a diagonal cut. The blow was easily parried and the two separated once again.  
  
- - - - -   
  
"Quatre, what happened? Who did this to you?" Heero asked his friend. He had already called for Sally and tried to get a hold of Wufei but had not been able to find the sorcerer. It didn't happen often, that he couldn't find somebody through the flames, and whenever it happened it was never for a good reason. "Come on Quatre, answer me. Stay awake, Sally's on her way right now."  
  
The smaller blond groaned painfully, still clutching his bleeding stomach. "Dorothy," he coughed, blood boiling up his throat and splatting on the stone floor.  
  
Heero growled loudly. "Relena. That bitch. She already made a move. We had an agreement."  
  
"Heero-"  
  
"Don't talk Quatre. Sally's on her way. Trowa's fine, you saved him. But this wound is bad, and you not a Vampire..."  
  
"I know...but..." the blond prince once again coughed violently, and then looked back up at the blue-eyed teen. "...but...she wasn't...here...for...us..." he gasped out.  
  
Heero's eyes widened slightly, knowing what Quatre was implying.  
  
"...here for...Duo..."  
  
The dark-haired prince nodded, quickly recovering from his momentary shock. "Okay. I understand. Duo can take care of himself," he assured as he helped the blond back up against the wall so that he could rest. 'God damn it Duo. You better be okay. You better not get killed out there.' He turned back to Quatre, forcing the thoughts from his mind. "Sally's coming. I can hear her. When she gets here do whatever she needs you to. I'll go find Wufei and be back as soon as possible."  
  
"...okay..."  
  
Again Heero nodded and then stood up, facing Sally who had just arrived and was catching her breath from the run from her own room. "There was an intruder. Quatre and Trowa got in the way. I'm going to tell the guards and get them out searching and then I'll go get Wufei. He'll find you."  
  
The woman simply nodded and mumbled a response as she kneeled next to Quatre, looking him over. "It looks like his vitals were spared...for the most part, but it's still not good. He definitely needs Wufei. I'll do what I can to slow the bleeding and edge off the pain, but my uses are limited."  
  
"Anything will be fine. Trowa is just unconscious. He should be awake soon. He doesn't have a concussion, so you don't have to worry about that. But when he does wake up tell him that Dorothy visited. He'll know what I'm talking about."  
  
"Okay," she stated, then spared a fleeting glance back at him. "Where's Duo?"  
  
Heero's clenched his jaw. "I'm going to find Wufei. He's not responding to my calls."  
  
Sally nodded once again. Her eyes already back on Quatre and her hands were moving rapidly through her bags of things as she quickly withdrew what she needed.  
  
The blue-eyed prince turned and made his way hurriedly towards Wufei's room, not before returning to a candle though and explaining enough of the situation to Trieze that the man knew what to do. As he all but ran to get his sorcerer his mind raced. 'Shit. Of all the times for Wufei to be gone. Damn Relena, that traitorous bitch. Duo, you better be okay. Condemn the world to Hell if you die out there because of her," he though hatefully. 'I know that you went after her. Dorothy. Don't get yourself killed.'  
  
- - - - -   
  
Holding her purple, red, and copper colored pillow to her chest once again, a giggle escaped Relena's smiling lips. She looked like a child who had just been informed of what her birthday present was going to be and it was the absolute best thing in the world. She hadn't gotten it yet, but she had no doubt that she would be receiving it sometime soon. There was no way that her Dorothy would even let her down. By tomorrow then, she would have the demon's head on top of a pike in her private garden.   
  
It was wonderful knowing that she had the ability to be immortal, like Vampires. Not to mention that she would never have to worry about her brother, who had left so many years ago that she could not even remember him, coming back to claim her kingdom. Life was simply wonderful. Finally all the bloody fighting could end once she ruled the world and taught those barbaric Vampires and ruthless Magicians about the pure bliss of pacifism.  
  
"I wonder if Dorothy would mind if Heero became my husband once I rule the Prydain Kingdom," she wondered softly to herself in the privacy of her carriage. "No, not as long as I let her have that little blond wench...what's his name...Quatre."  
  
- - - - -   
  
Duo grunted in pain as he was violently knocked to his back on the stone roof. Dorothy was immediately on top of him, her sword pressing hard against the pole of his scythe as he strained to hold it up. The fight was completely fair, there was no doubt. The braided teen was surprised by how strong the Huntress actually was and how she compared to him, even when he let himself fight to kill. Constantly he was pulling out more of himself than he thought possible and she was consistently throwing out new tricks.  
  
"You demon spawn," the blond hissed down at him, putting even more into her weapon.  
  
Duo clenched his jaw and his eyes narrowed. "Fuck you," he muttered. His long bangs clung to his forehead from sweat and he would nearly give anything to get the chance to shake the distraction away. It proved as even more of a distraction when he missed the way that the girl had shifted her weight and he grunted when he was suddenly pushing up against nothing but air.   
  
He didn't question the fact that the sword was there, he simply too the advantage to roll his hips up, kick his feet out and spring into a crouching position. Just as he got to his feet though, Dorothy leashed out, against surprising him. She lunged with a dagger, not a sword. The blade tore through Duo's arms and he hissed in pain at the gash that was maybe and inch deep and instantly spilling blood. Instead of stepping away from the girl, he stepped forward, into the thrust, and then spun his scythe as to cut the girl in half. The braided boy sliced an inch and a half into her side before she was able to stop his blade with her own.  
  
Brown eyes looked up from Duo's wound, straight into his violet eyes. "Street whore," she snarled, her face nor her eyes revealing any pain that she was feeling from her own wound, if she was feeling any.  
  
The scythe pressed harder into the Huntress' flesh, but would not budge from the spot where it was blocked.  
  
"You're weak," she stated again. "You could do better than this. What's holding you back? You have all the power in the world. The universe." She smirked and raised an eyebrow before she continued speaking. "But you found him. Didn't you? You found your Master. Did he tell you that you could fight? Or kill? Or wield a weapon?" She asked, her voice soft, almost beautiful, betraying the true woman within.  
  
Duo hesitated for a moment. All pressure that he had been applying to his scythe was gone as he stood, paralyzed, in the midst of a self-conflict. The blond-haired girl took her chance, threw the blade from her bleeding side and stepped back to gain a little room between both of their bodies. Then she held out her word, the tip against the spot just in the crook of his throat.  
  
- - - - -   
  
Heero burst into Wufei and Trieze's room. It was empty. Cursing silently he approached a nearby candle, glowing just beside the bed. "Wufei," he demanded. The fire remained a blank orange, like any other normal flame. "Damn. Where are you Wufei? Where the fuck are you?" The prince stopped for a moment and took a controlled breath, calming himself before he faced the candle once again. "Trieze." Immediately the said man appeared in the flame.  
  
"Yes Prince Heero?"  
  
"Where would Wufei go to think, if he didn't want to be bothered or contacted. To completely isolated, even from my calls?"  
  
The redhead man frowned and remained silently.  
  
"Trieze, tell me. This is an emergency. Quatre's life depends on if I can find Wufei or not. So where is he?"  
  
Trieze nodded. "The same place he goes to cast his larger spells."  
  
"The roof."  
  
The man nodded once again.  
  
"Thank you," the prince stated.  
  
- - - - -   
  
"Quatre. Just keep on talking to me. Okay? Wufei'll be here soon, but I need to know that you're conscious. Understand?" Sally asked the young boy who sat limply against the passageway wall, a pool of dark crimson blood surrounding him.  
  
"Yeah...Trowa?..." The blond asked, his voice almost too soft to hear, his breathing too shallow to be considered normal, or safe.  
  
"He's going to be fine. He's just unconscious and he's going to wake up soon," the woman informed, then lifted a small clay cup up to the youth's lips. "Take another sip of this. I added some honey. I won't be as bitter as it was before. Come on and keep talking to me every once in awhile."   
  
"...Thanks..."   
  
Sally forced herself to smile. "No problem," she said as she pressed the cup to the teen's lips lightly. He took a small sip and then paused to take a breath. The braided woman glanced down at his abdomen quickly and saw that the bandages that she had just wrapped over the wound already had red blossoms growing on them. The dagger had fallen out of Quatre's stomach and so she hadn't been able to keep it in to stop some of the bleeding. Wufei had better get there soon or else he wasn't going to last much longer.   
  
- - - - -   
  
"Prince Heero."  
  
"What Trieze. Now is not the time. I have to get Wufei now."  
  
"You didn't tell me everything before. What brought all of this on? Now?" The older man demanded.  
  
Heero growled. "We're at war with the Sanq Kingdom Trieze. Relena declared it this morning when we had our meeting," he stated before waving away the picture and sprinting out of the room, heading for the stairs that lead up to the roof. He had to get Wufei or else Quatre would die. 'Damn you Wufei.'  
  
- - - - -   
  
Dorothy pressed harder on the braided boy's throat, making a small cut, just enough to cause a trickle of blood to run down and dangle on hi collarbone. Suddenly the push receded as she felt the cool piercing of the blade of Duo's scythe press against her own neck. "He never said that I couldn't," Duo stated, a humorless grin creeping over his features. "Now this is one of those pretty awkward situations. Isn't it?"  
  
The Huntress refused to show any emotion. "Who is it?"  
  
"Who's what?"  
  
"Your Master, demon," she hissed.  
  
Duo's nearly black eyes shown wildly in the soft moonlight. "That's for me to know and you to find out.'  
  
The two jumper apart, each grunting as they landing. Both of their bodies were covered with bruises and cuts. Trials of dried blood covered Duo's bare chest, though his wings were thankfully unscathed. The braided boy's left arm was covered in the crimson liquid which dripped down and fell with muffled plops to the roof. Even after a minute or so of staring each other down they were still breathing heavily from their strenuous workout.   
  
Dorothy nodded finally and sheathed her sword. "Another time then," she informed, knowing that the fight would go nowhere if they were to continue. Both of them were too beat up to go on and it would just result in more harm, or maybe nothing would happen. Simply a waist of time. She snorted softly and turned halfway around, speaking one last time. "But I promise you that next time your headless corps will be all that your Master finds."  
  
"If you're not dead first," Duo stated to the empty rooftop. For about five minutes the teen stood his ground still holding his scythe, straining his senses, to make sure that the girl had truly gone and was not playing some sort of trick on him. The minutes passed like hours and finally the braided youth's legs gave out under him and he collapsed to the ground, still holding his scythe. The world was spinning around him and his sensed were dulled more than they had ever been before. Even his normal senses were less than they usually were as he lay, helpless, on the ground.   
  
- - - - -   
  
"Wufei!" Heero shouted across the rooftop. The shadowed figure by the edge turned around, eyes blinking to reveal glazed over, black orbs. 'Fuck, he's in a trance,' In a second the prince was in front of his sorcerer, shaking him hard by the shoulders. "Wufei! Snap out of this now."  
  
The teen's eyes were still glazed.  
  
Heero growled. How could Wufei do this? Become so dead to the world and not be able to get out of it? And now Quatre might die because of it. "Wufei. Now."  
  
Nothing.  
  
The dark-haired prince's eyes narrowed dangerously as he backhanded the black-haired youth in front of him.  
  
Wufei's head snapped to the side and when he turned to face Heero his eyes were cleared and none to happy. "Heero. What the hell do you think-"  
  
"Quatre's dying thanks to your trance," Heero hissed.  
  
Dropping his jaw, Wufei stared at the prince. "What?" His tanned complexion had gone a level paler as the sentence had its time to sink in. "How? Why?"  
  
"Dorothy got in. He got stabbed. Get over to him and Sally now. They should be by his and Trowa's room."  
  
Wufei nodded and stood quickly, then started to walk away. He started back around as he realized that the prince was not following him. "Heero?" He asked as he fully faced the other direction just to find that he was alone. Nodding to himself, the sorcerer ran from the roof and quickly made his way to his needing friend.  
  
- - - - -   
  
Duo's head pounded and his stomach twisted painfully. He felt sick. As if to prove the statement correct his stomach contracted and he was barely able to roll over and crawl on all fours before he retched, losing what little he had eaten that day. After his stomach relaxed and he stopped gagging, the chestnut-haired boy collapsed back onto his back unceremoniously. All of his energy was used up, so much so that he could feel the last of it draining away as he used it to breath and keep his grip on his scythe. His wings were so limp in their cloak state that he only felt dull throbs of pain at having the edges bent under his body. The boy couldn't even groan in pain and he wondered how he was going to make it back to the castle before daylight. 'Not gonna happen.'   
  
He didn't know how long he laid there like that, but eventually he heard the soft thump of feet hitting the roof and muffled grunt of the stranger landing, and Duo was drawn out of his daze and shock to some extent, not enough to care though. There was nothing he could do if the intruder was an enemy or decided to do something to him. His body was no better than a rag doll's, and maybe even less responsive.   
  
"Duo?"  
  
The voice was familiar some how. Duo's scrambled and fogged mind couldn't detect how though, who it was, or what face went along with it. He just knew that it was familiar in some way. It was a good voice. His muscles relaxed involuntarily, though his left hand kept a tight grip on his scythe. Or did it? He had lost feeling in that arm under the gash a few minutes ago. Was it a few minutes ago? How long had he exactly been lying there?  
  
"Duo?"  
  
There it was again. Closer now. Could it be Solo? No. Solo was dead. Solo had a different voice. Didn't he? The braided boy let out a breath of air that could have been considered a sigh under loose circumstances. He wanted to call out to whoever the owner of the voice was. To tell them that it was him. But his body wouldn't work the way his mind wanted it to. Already it was becoming harder to breath, taking so much effort. So much concentration that he nearly didn't feel the gentle fingertips that brushed along his cheek.   
  
"Oh my God. Duo," the familiar stranger gasped out, his hand cupping Duo's chin gently. "Can you hear me Duo? Can you say something?"  
  
A picture of a sixteen-year-old boy with dark brown messy hair, ice blue eyes, a straight mouth, and tanned skin flashed, through the braided boy's mind. Master. That was who it was. Right? What had he wanted? Duo couldn't remember through the haze.  
  
"Please say something Duo."  
  
"...Ma-...Master?" The limp boy rasped out, surprising himself. He had just subtracted a couple of the few breaths he had energy for by doing that. Why had he done that again? 'Because he's my Master. He owns me. I'll do anything he wants. I'll die doing anything he wants me to.' The thought came to Duo through the mist in his mind, and left quickly, leaving him confused. The castle. He had to get back to the castle.  
  
"Duo. Come on. I'm taking you back," Master stated, placing a soft kiss on the violet-eyed teen's forehead. "Don't worry," he whispered softly as he scooped the braided boy into his strong arms and held him closely. "God Duo, how deep is that cut on your arm?" He whispered as his hands adjusted so that they were made sure not to press against the wound.   
  
Duo took another shallow breath of air and was about to answer the question when his Master told him not to. To save his energy and just relax. Gratefully, he followed the order.  
  
"Don't worry Duo, you'll be home soon. Just relax. I won't drop you. "  
  
'Master...no that's not his name. It's...Heero,' Duo thought, letting himself let go and loosen up completely. 'Heero...my protector, my lover, my Master...'   
  
Heero glanced down at the boy huddled in his arms and felt a mix of emotions swirl through him. Why had Relena gone through the trouble to try to kill Duo, now? He dismissed the question with a shake of his head, the answer was obvious. The queen had wanted to get rid of him early on and when it would not be expected. But why was she after Duo? Duo had said ever since he was little that the soldiers and guards in the Sanq Kingdom had constantly spotted him out and tried to hunt him down. Even burning the church. The one thing missing from the equation was a reason, a motivation. 'Aside from that. How did Duo even fight Dorothy? He doesn't have a weapon,' the prince wondered. It didn't matter though. Not at that moment at least. Now all that he needed to do was to get Duo back to the castle, to Wufei. It was more than obvious that the youth didn't have much energy left, that he was relying on what scraps he did have to stay alive, to keep breathing.   
  
"It's okay Duo. You're safe," he whispered and then started to head back in the direction he had come from.  
  
The castle appeared in front of them within a couple of minutes. To Heero's dismay, he didn't have that much of a problem getting over the wall and into the palace undetected. Obviously the guards needed a bit more training with their own sensing powers, the Vampire ones that was. Both races, Humans and Vampires, needed to work on efficiency as well. 'I'll remember to bring that up with Trieze later. Right now I need to take care of Duo.' Ice blue eyes flickered down toward the boy who lay, limp and most likely unconscious in his arms. 'Damn. Don't die on me Duo.' Heero's pace quickened and within moments he was skidding around the corner and standing in Quatre's doorway.  
  
"Wufei," Heero declared as he took a few steps into the room.  
  
Inside the room and right beside the bed where Quatre laid, Wufei looked up. "What is- happened to him?" He asked, his annoyed face becoming wrought with a level of concern.  
  
"He fought Dorothy. He's nearly completely drained," the prince offered, knowing that Wufei would understand what he was asking of him.  
  
The sorcerer nodded and then threw a glance at the pale blond who lay, unconscious, on the bed. "Okay," he said and then got up and took the few steps that it was across the room until he stood directly in front of Heero, his eyes focused on the limp boy in his arms. "I can only give him a little. It will be enough to keep him from dying, but I need my power to finish what I need to with Quatre and to keep my shields up over the castle," the black-haired boy explained. Without waiting for a response he held his hands just over Duo's still bare chest and closed his eyes for a few moments as he concentrated on letting only a controlled amount of his power to flow into the braided teen's body. Nothing seemed to have happened to Duo but Wufei opened his eyes soon and drew away from the prince and his burden. "That is all I can do for now. I suggest you find a maid of servant to give him something more."  
  
Heero nodded. "Thank you. Do you know if Sally would help?" He wondered.  
  
"I don't know. She might. She seems to be a strong enough will woman to do so, though I doubt Noin would, if you are thinking about her. After the...incident when she first met him. If you can find Nataku, maybe she will give some of her own powers, it seems that she and him have met before and have their own relationship of sorts."  
  
Another confirming nod. "Is Quatre going to be alright?" Heero asked, even though all he wanted to do was get Duo into bed and find the nearest Human.  
  
"He will be. And yes, he and Trowa will still be leaving tomorrow. They will both be well enough for the journey."  
  
"Thank you Wufei."  
  
"I am sorry that-" the sorcerer started, eyes diverted from the prince's piercing blue ones.  
  
"It's okay. You were able to save him, them. I doubt that you will let it happen again."  
  
"Of course not. It was a foolish mistake. I should have not made it," the youth stated, his voice set and determined.  
  
"I'm taking Duo to bed. I'll tell Trieze of your whereabouts" the dark-haired youth explained and then silently turned and walked away. His nervous blue eyes turned down to his lover's pale face. 'How did you do it Duo? How did you fight her?' He wondered as he hurriedly made his way toward their bedroom.  
  
- - - - -   
  
"Lady Une?"  
  
"Yes Mistress."  
  
"Please check in on Dorothy and how she is doing on her...mission."  
  
"Yes Mistress." There was a short pause. "She is camped in the Kingdom's surrounding forest at the moment. She is alone."  
  
"Good. How did the battle go?"  
  
"It ended at a draw. Her and the demon were both too tired and injured to continue."  
  
"Are you sure? Dorothy is injured?"  
  
"Yes Mistress."  
  
"How badly? Is she okay?"  
  
"It is nothing that she cannot handle."  
  
"Thank you Une. But can you tell me how things feel regarding the demon creature?"  
  
"The demon's magic has changed. His Master has claimed him."  
  
Relena's breath caught at the new information. "Are you positive? Of course you are. Can you tell me who its Master is?"  
  
"I apologize Mistress, I cannot tell you who its Master is. Though I can sense that it is somebody in the Prydain Kingdom, for they are close to each other physically. Though I cannot pinpoint the person precisely. It might be the magic of the bond itself that keeps me from seeing the man's face. That I am not sure of."  
  
"Thank you very much Lady Une. You may go."  
  
"Yes Mistress."  
  
The blond girl sat back from the carriage window with a soft sigh. She did not doubt Dorothy, she would get the demon's head of die trying to do so. But the demon was owned now, it had a Master, it was controlled. It she could just find the Master and persuade him onto her side, then the creature's power would be good for the war and she would be able to kill him after they won. On the other hand, if the Master chose to go against her, or already was, then she might be looking at a larger problem than she first thought.   
  
Another sigh escaped her lips. She needed to tell Dorothy to hold off on her assassination assignment until the demon's Master was found and revealed. Only then would she be able to make her decision.   
  
- - - - -   
  
"You are serious."  
  
"I wouldn't joke about something like this."  
  
"Was has been declared between the Prydain and Sanq Kingdom?"  
  
"That's what Heero told me last night."  
  
"And you didn't tell me then because...?"  
  
"I didn't have the time. We were busy enough running around trying to get things stabilized."  
  
"Well, I can see how these training exercises have been helping prepare our soldiers for this. I wonder how long Heero has been expecting this to happen. And on that line. Why didn't he tell us about this earlier?"  
  
"I don't know. That's my question too. I'll have to talk to him."  
  
"We'll have to talk to him."  
  
"There is no doubt about that."  
  
"It's actually true. War. I never thought that it would happen. Sanq. Of all the places. You can tell how this isn't just going to be something easily taken care of. There's more behind this façade."  
  
"I caught that too. It's not a hidden fact that the kingdoms have started to split apart. Race wise at the least. It's going to be Humans verses Vampires and that's going to make it twice as bad."  
  
"Of course Heero has already noticed this. He isn't one not to miss anything. Especially problems that he will have to face. Or even might have to face. I'm just wondering what he has come up with to do about the Humans in the kingdom and in the force, especially. The men may rely on each other with their lives, but once this starts I doubt that there is going to be much stopping them from going against each other, no matter how much I hate to say it."  
  
"I'm assuming that Heero has already planned all of this out and will tell us soon, Zechs."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"He also mentioned that he's going to announce tomorrow. This afternoon I believe. Most likely after he speaks to us."  
  
"And his true self?"  
  
"I'm assuming that that will go with the news of war. If he's going to be leading an army of Vampires against Humans he better damn well tell them that he's one of them."  
  
"And what about Heero's new slave? It seems to all be happening too quickly. Too much at one time to not have it be related."  
  
"We can ask Heero about him as well. There seems to be a lot that we've been in the dark about, despite our status. More than we usually are that is."  
  
"Or maybe we've always been in the dark and are just now realizing it," Zechs suggested.  
  
"You may be right, but I would hate to think that Heero doesn't trust me. But all of this does make me wonder," the redheaded man stated. "It's late. The guards are on double shifts. Things should be okay for tonight. Lets both get some rest Zechs. I have a feeling that we'll be needing it."  
  
"I agree."  
  
- - - - -   
  
Duo yawned as he woke up. His body ached dully, but nothing that he couldn't handle. For a few moments he was confused and disoriented, wondering why he felt the way he did, where exactly he was, what time it was, and how long he had been out for. After he blinked a couple of times and the room came into focus he let himself melt back into the bed. It was Heero's room. The teen let his bonding senses spread, wondering where his lover was and was pleased to find him just across the room. 'Ng, I'm not even awake enough to hear him over there. This is sad. No...it's me.'  
  
"You wok up on your own."  
  
The dull throbbing in his head was the youth's only physical response to rolling his eyes at the obviousness of the statement. At least it didn't seem like he had too much damage. Head damage that was. "Yeah. I know that it doesn't happen very often, but I guess today's just a special day. Right?" He groaned. "Oh man. Quatre's leaving. Shit. I don't want Quatre to leave, he's too cool. Not to mention that he's, like, my only friend."  
  
"Hn."  
  
Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, Duo sat up and looked across the room at the blue-eyed boy that stood there, staring back at him. "So, what else is going on today?" Duo wondered, his toes feather touching the cold floor before curling up and his legs coming back up to rest under him.   
  
"I'm going to officially tell my kingdom that war has been declared, and that I am of the Vampire race."  
  
Duo sighed and then kicked his legs out quickly and shoved himself away from the bed, landing with a soft thud on the wooden floor. "Awe shit it's cold," he muttered under his breath as he switched from one foot to the next. "Are you going to be doing all of that talking in that order?"  
  
"Most likely."  
  
"...and me? What's my agenda."  
  
"You'll start your lessons with Wufei, which will most likely come when he had free time. If things go well, then nobody more than those of us right now, will know what you are. Before your lessons though, you can get something to eat."  
  
"Did you already eat?"  
  
The prince nodded. "I let you sleep in. You needed it."  
  
"Did Quatre sleep in?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then I shouldn't have slept in. He's worse off then I am. He got stabbed for shit's sake," the braided youth exclaimed. "How could you let me sleep while he was up and doing things? Awwe, now I feel guilty. Well, not to say that I didn't feel guilty before hand. I already felt plenty guilty about that. Even when I was fighting Dorothy. Man, nothing's easy now 'n days. Speaking of Dorothy. You never did ask me," Duo informed. Before he had passed out last night and even now, the part of his mind that was linked with Heero's, told him that the taller boy had something that he wanted to ask him.  
  
"I'm sorry about all of this Quatre," Duo apologized to the blond boy. "It's my fault that you and Trowa got hurt last night. I mean...if I had been on better guard and been paying more attention to what was going on around me, and not letting myself get distracted, then maybe none of this would have happened."  
  
"It's really okay Duo," Quatre assured as he hugged the chestnut-haired boy closely. "I'm as good as new, if not better, thank to Wufei." His grip tightened and then he stepped back. "I'm gonna miss you Duo."  
  
The braided youth pouted. "Me too Quatre. Too bad you gotta go rule that kingdom of yours. How stupid is that. Can't you just let them all fend for themselves?" He sighed jokingly and then grinned. The two hugged once more, briefly, and then Quatre climbed onto his golden horse that Trowa was holding for him. Once Quatre got up Trowa said something to him and then moved his own steed and rode behind Duo, most likely to say a few more words to Heero. Taking his last chance, Duo walked up to Quatre and smiled up sadly as he stroked the horse's neck. "Bye Quatre. It was really great getting to know ya. You're the best friend a guy could ask for," he said softly. His face suddenly turned deadly serious as he looked up and met the blond prince's eyes. "So don't make me kill you." And then, without another word, he was walking away, back to where Heero stood speaking up to a mounted Trowa.   
  
Heero nodded. "Of course."  
  
The two shook hands and Trowa turned his large copper colored war-horse around and nodded as though affirming something. "Good bye brother," he stated softly before kicking his steed and quickly making his way back to Quatre's side.   
  
Duo gapped, his wide, shocked stare changing from Heero to Trowa and then back to Heero. "Your brothers?!" He whispered, shocked. 'It at least explains most of Trowa's privileges.'  
  
Heero turned back around and faced the gapping youth. Somberly he lifted a hand and rested it on Duo's shoulder. "You can't tell anybody," he stated seriously.   
  
"People don't know? But...why not? Why is he in Quatre's Kingdom? What-"  
  
"Duo. Now is not the time. Let's just make sure that Quatre and Trowa are shown out properly."  
  
Directly after that statement a horse whinnied from the direction that the two were at. Duo nodded, surprise still evident on his face, and he turned around to face the leaving party. "Okay. Don't worry," he assured, letting himself lean into his lover's arms that wrapped around him. For the sake of his own mind, the braided boy let the questions drain away and concentrated on the scene in front of him. "Wow. I didn't realize that there were so many of those people. Quatre's guards I mean. Does he always bring that many when he's visiting?"  
  
"They would come anyway."  
  
"Oh. Cool."   
  
As the group of Quatre's guards got settled into a certain formation Duo met the prince's stare face on. The expression on the blond boy's face was grave with a degree of sorrow. Words were not needed between the two at the moment. Quatre had understood Duo's plea well and knew exactly what he had meant. He wanted the braided teen to know that he would try his hardest not to get himself on the bad, or instinctive, side of him, but that he could not make any promises. For once it was a good thing to have somebody who could feel his emotions. At least Quatre could sense what the teen could not express.  
  
"Prince Heero?" A soft male voice asked from the side.  
  
Heero's arms dropped from around Duo as he turned to face a boy around twelve who stood about five feet away from a white stallion, nearly as large as Trowa's, if not the same size. "Thank you," the prince stated and nodded to the boy in dismissal. "Stay here. It's only customary for me to guide them out the last gates. I'll call on you later, but at the moment there are too many things to do."  
  
"And I'd just get in the way," Duo muttered as the blue-eyed prince mounted his horse.   
  
"Most likely you'd get bored. That's worse," Heero stated as he mounted the large white stallion. "Stay out of trouble and stay safe."  
  
"Hey! Wait up a minute. I had a question!" Duo exclaimed, his head tilting back so that he could look up at the blue-eyed teen who was now three feet, give or take a few inches, taller than him.  
  
"Duo, they're waiting."  
  
"No they aren't. They're talking with each other."  
  
"Duo." Heero's voice was warning the braided boy not to pushed it.  
  
The teen in question pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"You can fight in self defense, or fun if you're going to spar. After I leave you can go to the kitchen and get something to eat and then find Wufei. He wants to talk to you and might actually have you start lessons today. Understand?"  
  
"Yeah," the violet-eyed youth mumbled and dug his toe in the dirt. "I get it."  
  
"Good," the prince said. There was a short pause and then he snorted softly and bent down. Reaching out and cupping the braided boy's chin and tilted his head up so that their eyes met. "I have to go now Duo. Just make sure to keep yourself safe."  
  
Duo pressed into the touch of his lover's warm hand and stared back at him somberly. "That goes for you too."  
  
Heero nodded and then drew himself back up into his original sitting position. Quickly he spun his mount around, seeming to do so without a command of any sort, and trotted away to join the blond prince and his brother. Soon after he had come up on Quatre's right they exchanged a few words and started on their way out of the kingdom.  
  
Sighing in defeat of not being able to go, and most likely having to spend the rest of the day inside with Wufei, Duo waited until the small group was out of sight and then turned and started to make his way around the castle to the kitchen. The fact that it was a longer trip was simply a bonus next to the fact that it was outside. At the moment his cheerful level had dropped dangerously close to hindering him from the smile that was nearly ever-present on his face. The thought of Heero leaving the castle, even though it was to guide Quatre out, unsettled him, even despite the fact that he was with Quatre's forty armed bodyguards.  
  
It only took a couple of uneventful minutes to reach the kitchen, and when he walked in he was almost immediately spotted by Ms. Crawford who all but ran over to him and herded him over to a counter. "Duo, why haven't you come for meals? Did the prince get mad at you for chopping that wood last time? Well, here's a plate. Go sit down on that bench over there and eat. And then I'll give you a bag on your way out so that you'll have something to eat if you can't get back sometime today."  
  
The braided boy could only nod as a plate full of food was shoved in his arms and he was pushed over to a bench where he all but fell down. He eyed Mrs. Crawford to make sure that she had gone back to her own work and then started to eat, or more so, inhale, his breakfast. He might have not been having the best emotional day ever, but he was still starving.   
  
Within, what felt to be like seconds, Duo's plate was completely clean and he was standing in front of Ms. Crawford once again. "Seconds?" He wondered, already knowing the answer.  
  
"I wouldn't think anything else," replied the Head Cook as she snatched his plate and then turned to dish him up some more of what he had just had. "Are you sure that the prince isn't mad at you? I'll talk to him if you need me to."  
  
"Naw. The prince isn't mad about anything. It's just that things have been really busy lately and all. I haven't had much time to come here anyway. I was really planning on stopping by last night, but all of that activity started up and it didn't look like I was going anywhere except into bed. So that didn't really work out the exact way that I had planned it. But that's okay. I'm here now."  
  
The shorter woman clucked as she turned around. "I should get a not from the palace doctor for you or something of the sort, saying that you need to eat something more. You're as skinny as a beanstalk, if not more so. It's simply not healthy for you."  
  
Duo shrugged as he shook his head. "Don't do that. It's not like I'm starving or anything. And the prince is really great. He makes sure to feed me as much as possible at meal by hand. I think he already knows that I'm a little bit on the thin side. So it all works out okay. I'm really not doing bad." At that moment Duo's stomach growled loudly and was followed by a soft blush creeping over his cheeks. "It's really fine," he muttered.  
  
Ms. Crawford shook her head solemnly. "If you don't start getting fed you'll wither away into nothing. Don't think that I don't know what I'm talking about either. I've seen this happen to too many servants who are kept so busy that they don't have time to get anything but a slice of bread every twelve hours. Just promise me that if you starting getting stomach pains that you'll either come to me or the palace doctor okay?"  
  
"Nggg...okay. But there's really nothing to worry about Ms. Crawford. I lived on the streets so I'm completely use to this. Nothing is going to happen. I'm sure of it."  
  
"Let's hop so. Now you finish that up."  
  
The braided boy nodded and once again turned around and returned to the bench on the other side of the kitchen. 


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King  
  
Chapter 23-   
  
Duo wandered aimlessly through the castle passage ways. Actually, he was suppose to have an aim, and in the far reaches of his mind he did. To find Wufei. Right now though, all he wanted to do was wader. He had just left the kitchen where Ms. Crawford had stuffed two and a half plates full of food down his throat, not that he had minded too much. But she had also commented on his cloak when he was leaving and it had struck a nerve. If she had noticed it then other servants would most likely notice it as well, and that was not good. Most servants never got to wear cloaks and when they did they were only light, worn down ones. To say the truth, he was worried about be pointed out as being something different and then others would have more of a chance to find out who, what, he was.  
  
The usually cheerful boy shivered. The last thing he needed was people chanting that he needed to die and the entire city raging. He groaned. That was the last thing that Heero needed. That was more important than his own nervousness. Heero was the one who would have to start fighting in war soon. Duo sighed heavily. Things were pressing in too hard and he was having trouble keeping up his happy smile that seemed pasted on his face, and usually was. He had been walking on a thin line between cheerfulness and a complete breakdown recently.   
  
'It could be worse,' the braided boy thought to himself.   
  
'Yeah. It's always look at the bright side of things.'   
  
'Though there's not much to look at in this case. Everything is pretty dark.'  
  
'Yes.'  
  
'But it could be worse.'  
  
The short mental conversation made Duo feel a little better. To know that things could very well be worse was comforting in a way, but bothersome in another. If things could get worse then it always meant that there was somewhere to fall to. You could go down as well as up. And in this case it actually looked more like it would be going down before it started to go up any time soon. The fact that Dorothy had attacked him the other night did not add any support to the 'maybe things will look up' side. Not to mention everything that she had mentioned about finding Duo's Master.   
  
Another shiver ran up his back. What if Relena found out that Heero was his Master? What would she do? Would she take Heero by force and then keep Duo alive to watch her force him into marriage and then use Duo as a tool of war and destruction so that she could overtake the Winner Kingdom and conquer the world and then spread her 'pacifism' everywhere? But what if she knew that Heero would never be taken to her side and so she killed him just because he was Duo's Master. Or what if...Duo closed his eyes and rubbed his arms that had suddenly gone cold along with the rest of his body. She would never...he hoped. But he would put it bellow Relena to use his Master as a way to force him to talk. A torture treatment without actually hurting the him physically, or at least...not visibly.  
  
'It's all okay right now. Things can get worse, but I can stop it. I'll protect Heero. Nobody will know that he's my Master except for those who are suppose to know.'  
  
'That's right. Take control.'  
  
'And I'll kill anybody who tries to harm Heero.'  
  
'That's great. But now I need a smile,' Duo thought as he sensed Wufei around the next corner and down the hall a little ways. He didn't have that much time, but probably just enough to get something scrapped together that didn't make him look like he was depressed and about to have a neurotic breakdown. 'Ah, but that's not what Duo Maxwell's like. Right? He would never be depressed. Of course not.'  
  
'You're pathetic.'  
  
'Hah. I may be pathetic, but if I let people see you then nobody would act the same around me. They would actually be worried about me understanding things. At least with a disguise like this people think I'm an idiot enough that they can talk in front of me. I think the only people who know better are Heero, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, maybe the head guard guy, and...Relena.'  
  
'Pathetic.'  
  
  
Duo forced himself to ignore the other voice in his head. At the moment he needed some instant cheer and he would definitely not find it there. 'Hurry up, he's getting closer. I bet that he can already tell that I'm here.' Quickly the violet-eyed boy forced himself to grin and start to bounce joyfully. He hurriedly made his way to the intersection of the two halls and turned to face Wufei. "Hey man. I was suppose to be finding you somewhere. The only problem is that I don't know where your room is. I should have actually been going to the library though. That would have been a good guess. Right? At least I know where that is," he explained in one big rush. It was better to keep talking to make the sorcerer think that anything was the matter. It would only make things worse if he was acting suspicious. Then he might even have Heero coming down on him to ask if he was acting true.  
  
'Not that that's needed. He knows me better than anybody else. For show though. Others would have to feel reassured that he had done something.'  
  
"So what are we going to be doing today? Oh. Heero wanted me to ask you about..." he drifted off as he spread his wings slightly. As soon as he started though he had to spread them all of the way. It felt too good to stretch them, despite the immense danger. "Hmm...feels good. I've been cooped up in this place what feels like weeks. I know that I've had chances to go out. But I need to stretch man."  
  
"Duo! Put those away now!" Wufei nearly shouted, and the only thing that was probably stopped him from actually doing so was fear that somebody would hear him and then come running and see Duo. "Now Duo. I mean it!"  
  
Duo stared.  
  
"Fine. We'll go outside and find a place where you can do that without having to worry about prying eyes. Just fold them now."  
  
Sighing with faked exasperation, Duo did as he was told and his cloak fell back into place. Actually, he was glad to do so, despite the cramping feeling in his shoulders. He was just as nervous as Wufei at being found, if not more so. He just didn't show it though. "Yeah. So Heero wants to know if you can teach me how to make them go away completely. Basically absorbing them back into my body. I also wouldn't put it by him if he also wanted me to ask about...uh...I'll tell you that when we get to that secluded place that you were talking about. I'll have to show you cause you probably won't believe me. 'Sides, it wouldn't be good for anybody to overhear."  
  
The sorcerer nodded in understanding and turned the way that Duo had been going. They walked together, making their way deeper into the castle.   
  
"You promised to go outside," the braided boy pouted.  
  
"We are going outside. Just somewhere where nobody will find us."  
  
"The roof?"  
  
Wufei nodded in response and then spoke once again. "So he wants you to start lessons?"  
  
"Yeah. Basically. I can't think of anything else to call it. I don't know how good I'm going to be at all of this though. I mean. Most of what I can do I just think about or concentrate on and it happens. If all magic is like that though then it must be pretty damn easy cause I can't see anything that would be difficult in it to do. Unless you had to think of something that was really complicated. Then it might be kinda hard. But-"  
  
"I get the point Duo."  
  
Duo continued to grin. "Oh, yeah." 'Perfect. You're talking like normal. Even annoying people. This is perfect. Nothing's wrong. You're just completely the same.'  
  
'So scared about me coming out now are you?'  
  
'Shut up. I need to act like normal and I don't need your interferes. If I don't act like this then I'll lose-'  
  
'Control? Ha. You never have control.'  
  
"Duo? How was Quatre when he left?" Wufei asked, jarring the violet-eyed boy from his mental conversation. By the sound of his voice and the look on his face it was not the first time that he was asking the question.   
  
Duo looked at him, confused for a moment until he remember that Quatre had been stabbed the night before and that Wufei had not been present when the prince and his bodyguard had left, though he had been there at breakfast. "Oh. He seemed fine. Couldn't you see that at breakfast though?"  
  
The black-haired teen shrugged. "Quatre can put on a good show. If he didn't want me to know that he was still in pain or that I hadn't healed him all of the way then he can do it. He's not as weak as he looks."  
  
"I believe that. It's always the small ones that'll jump up on you." A small spark came to Duo's violet eyes as he said the statement. "Kinda like me. Eh? You'd never guess that I could kick serious ass. Even without any tricks mind you," he assured as he remembered the brawls he had been in. Most of his life on the streets he had worn gloves that Sister Helen and Father Maxwell had given his, but as he grew older the fingers were torn off so they were more for show than to protect, though they still had done better than nothing. The fights that he had gotten into when he was wearing those gloves had usually ended with his opponent badly bloodied, once in awhile killed. "Yup. Never guess that I didn't need to suck the life out of people in order to kill 'em. If I didn't tell you, you would never guess that I was ever in fowl fights, would ya?"  
  
Wufei eyed him in obvious surprise. "You sold yourself as a fighter?" The sorcerer's eyes betrayed his calm voice, and when the braided boy looked over at him he was able to see disdain in the black orbs. "How old were you?"  
  
"Ah, not old, around eight or nine when I started. It was basically..." Duo trailed off for a moment.  
  
'Foreplay for jobbers...they never did die...'  
  
'Shut up.'  
  
"...just another way to get money on the streets. Entertainment for those who watched it." He shrugged and then shut his mouth with a click. He didn't need to reveal his past to anybody. Least of all a sorcerer he hardly knew. Besides, it was just useless information anyway. None of it really mattered. "So...why the roof and not some other place?"  
  
'Pathetic. You're clearly showing your nervousness.'  
  
'This is what the normal me acts like.'  
  
'You're still nervous.'  
  
'Heero's outside the castle without me. How can I not be nervous? Tell me that!'  
  
'Heero does not need your protection. He can do perfectly well on his own. He is a Vampire and your Master after all. It does not go without saying that the Master has powers of his own that are not normal to his race.'  
  
'I know. But still.'  
  
'Pathetic.'  
  
Wufei blinked slowly and then spoke. "The roof is secluded and a large open space. It has its own protecting shield around it and thus I know everything that steps on it and everything that steps off." He hesitated for a moment, as though debating whether he should say something or not, then finally making up his mind, he continued. "Also, there are not many living things up there that will matter if they are killed or not."  
  
"Worried about my power is going to go haywire Wu?" Duo wondered, raising an eyebrow. The 'Wu' had really meant to be 'Wufei' but had just cam out shorter. No doubt, he didn't miss the way that the sorcerer's eyes narrowed at the name and he couldn't help but smirk. Maybe life wasn't as bad as it seemed. Maybe the world wasn't going to come crashing down and be destroyed. Maybe...just maybe, it would all turn out okay and Relena would be stopped and he wouldn't have to worry about something happening to Heero, or any of the others.   
  
- - - - -   
  
"Are you okay Dorothy?" Relena asked the blond girl who stood in front of her. Her voice was not controlled like she normally had it, but was expressing the true worry and concern that she was feeling. "Did he hurt you badly?"  
  
"I'm fine Miss Relena. It is nothing that I cannot handle," the Hunter answered, her features engraved in stone and not daring to change from its usual unfeeling-ness.  
  
Relena shook her head and sighed softly. "That doesn't mean much to me Dorothy. You can take almost anything and say that you're fine. What are your injuries?" The princess raised an eyebrow as though daring the other girl to try to get out of answering the question straight. "Tell me Dorothy. Please?"  
  
"Miss Relena. I am truly fine. My worst wound is a cut in my side. There are bruises and scratches as to be expected, but there is nothing else. I promise you Miss Relena."  
  
"Then why Dorothy? Why did you stop fighting?!" The blue-eyed princess stood up and faced the picture of the Huntress, her hands edging out as though to touch the taller girl, yet curling back as she took herself under control and told herself that it was simply an image. "What could ever make you stop fighting Dorothy?"  
  
"I am sorry Miss Relena. He is stronger than I expected. The fight was even and both of us were pushing our limits. We had to stop because any further fighting then would have lead to a simple even beating of each other which would make us worse, or nothing would happen. We were both injured as it was and at the time it became a temporary agreement at the moment. A simple fighter's contract."  
  
Relena nodded and then let out a deep breath. "Okay Dorothy," she stated as she smoothed her blood red, silk dress and sat back down. "I guess I am to be grateful then."  
  
"Miss Relena?"  
  
"His Master Dorothy. You did know that he found his Master. Did you not?" The princess wondered, already knowing the answer and not needing to hear it except to confirm that the Huntress did know what she was talking about.  
  
"Of course Miss Relena. I was going to tell you. I think that his powers are weakened because he is bonded now. He does not have free reign, though over all, he is more powerful than if he didn't have his Master. It is just the fact that he does not have permission to use all of it. And I also doubt that he knows half of what he can do. He will have to go into training I'm imagining. If his Master doesn't want his powers flaring everywhere." She paused for a moment, a questioning look coming over her face. "Why is this of importance to you Miss Relena?"  
  
The blond princess was smiling to herself and when she looked up and met the other's gaze her blue eyes were glimmering. "I want you to hold off on killing him Dorothy. I want you to find out who his Master is and to tell me. I want to see if I can use him for the upcoming war."  
  
"Miss Relena! You can't mean this! It's dangerous. He should not live any longer than is needed. What about your safety?"  
  
"I have you and Lady Une here to protect me."  
  
"But, the prophecy that your parents told you. What about that? The longer he lives then the more chance you have of dying. Only with his death will it be assured that you will live immortally. And what of your brother coming to power? We cannot have this happen!"  
  
"Dorothy. Watch your tongue when you speak to me!" Relena exclaimed, her voice dangerously low.  
  
The Huntress immediately bowed her head. "Forgive me Miss Relena."  
  
"Secondly. I remember quite well of the prophecy my parents told me about when I was little. Do not think that I could forget about something such as my own death or being betrayed by my own brother and having him take the thrown. I would never have that happen! Not after what he did to my parents. After running away like that. Shamming them. I can never forgive him. So Dorothy, remember this. Even if I am not doing this to make sure that I stay alive, I am doing this to make sure that my brother does not take control of my kingdom! Understood?"  
  
"Yes Miss Relena," Dorothy stated, her head still bowed.   
  
The princess nodded and unconsciously smoothed her dress once again. "Good. Now, as I was saying before. I want you to find out who it's Master is and then report to me. If we can convince this man to join our forces then we will be able to rule the world easily. Then once I have what I want I will kill both of them. Swiftly and with no regrets. Their heads will both be severed from their bodies and kept while their bodies are disemboweled and buried throughout the country to make sure never to arise again. And even when the next demon is birthed onto Earth, we shall have him so quickly that he should not live to be more than a few hours old until he is killed." Relena's smile widened gracefully and she giggled, much like a child. "Ah. What fun it will be, ruling the world as my parents envisioned. Having total peace."  
  
"A dream Miss Relena."  
  
"Yes, a dream come true." The blond, blue-eyed girl sighed then and looked over the Huntress. "It is too bad that so many barbarians run over the world. Those Vampires, killing every Human that they see. I doubt that they would ever understand the true masterpiece of pacifism." She laughed again. "Oh, shall it be a wonder. Once we win this war, I will rule completely and finally the Hunters will be reborn into their own Kingdom once again."  
  
"Thank you Miss Relena. We in fact have already started to prepare ourselves. Our race leader has been chosen. Thank you Miss Relena."  
  
Relena shrugged slightly. "It is nothing big. After all of your help, for coming to me to be your ruler and find safety and not one of your enemies. To help me win this war. I will gladly watch as your people grow once more to be powerful. To grow into my guardian angels shall I say. To make sure that those vial Vampires and Magicals are set in their places in society and make no problems, making sure that they understand true peace." There was a short pause and then the princess spoke once again. "So you understand what I am asking of you Dorothy?"  
  
"Yes Miss Relena."  
  
"And you will do as I ask?"  
  
"Of course Miss Relena."  
  
"Good. And Dorothy. Make sure that you check in with me every night, understand. I want to talk to you personally and have updates. If you can find anything out on what moves that Prince Heero plans to make then tell me."  
  
"As you wish Miss Relena."  
  
Relena's smile softened into something more personal. "Raise your head Dorothy darling." The Huntress did so and the princess sighed. "Ah Dorothy. I am truly sorry. It's these times. The stress. You know that I don't like war." She sighed and let her head fall into her hands. "But it's just so necessary. If any of them are going to learn about peace. They can't continue to live their horrible little lives. And those creatures can't keep on killing others."  
  
"You are doing the right thing Miss Relena."  
  
The princess looked up, her features more gentle. "Thank you Dorothy. You work wonders as always. I do not know what I would do to you if I didn't have you. Oh Dorothy. Without you I would probably be completely lost. Or worse. I am so sorry. I should not speak to you the way that I do sometimes. Can you forgive me Dorothy?"  
  
"How could I not Miss Relena?"  
  
- - - - -   
  
Duo burst out onto the roof and took a deep breath of fresh air. Surprisingly it was not too cold, despite the breeze that swirled around his body. There was probably a reason behind that, and it was most likely magical. Not that it mattered much to him. As long as he could sit down somewhere and open his wings, stretch a little bit. "So, where are we setting up?" He asked the teen who had just entered behind him.  
  
"Depends."  
  
"On what?"  
  
"On where you want to work."  
  
The braided boy nodded and then made his way to the very center of the roof area. Once he was there he looked out over the castle and viewed the surrounding scene. Slowly he turned around so that he saw from every angel around the roof and the horizon. He shrugged and opened his wings, then sat down and kept his back towards the sun which was pleasantly warm. "From right here, you can nearly feel everything around you. Some people would like an edge so that it's an easy escape and they can still see other sides, but then you're off balanced and your body has to adjust to it." He explained, knowing that there had to be something that Wufei got from the spot he chose. He just wanted to clarify on a few things first though. Suddenly he leapt to his feet in a crouching stance, his scythe materializing into his waiting palms. "From here a fighter is centered with, not only the ground beneath his feet, but the grounds of the castle, and thus the grounds of the city." He started to pivot again until he was facing Wufei. As soon as their eyes met his scythe was gone and a smile instantly replaced it. His wings were still out.  
  
"Interesting." Was the only response that Wufei had.  
  
Duo shrugged. "Yeah. So this," he spun the scythe that appeared and disappeared in his grasp quickly as he did a variety of different movement. "Is the other thing that Heero wanted me to talk to you about. I don't know what information you can give on it. But I think it's rather cool if I can say so myself." He took another deep breath as the weapon disappeared for the final time, at least for that moment. He was really feeling better. His sense of control had managed to wiggle its way back into his mind even though it was a dud and that he knew it didn't really exist. His 'other side' had left him alone since the last conversation about Heero being gone, and had seemed to accept that nothing would come of riling him up and making him go completely nuts. For now.   
  
"I have heard of and seen things like that. The power to bring objects to existence and make them solid, when really they do not exist. It is simply an issue of taking the substances that are around you and bending them to your will." He explained and then rolled his eyes as Duo stared at him with a completely blank expression on his face. "What is happening is that the air from around the person is being taken and molded with the magic that the person possesses, and by that mixture and the person's will, an object takes form and becomes solid. Once it is created the first time then it becomes easier to bring it up with each following selection."  
  
The braided boy shrugged. "That still doesn't explain why I can do it. Or why it came to me so quickly. You make it sound as though it's really hard."  
  
"It is," the sorcerer assured.   
  
"Then why could I do it so quickly. I mean, I didn't even think about it. It was just a reaction," he countered. "If this is so hard to do then I shouldn't be able to do it. Should I? I should be struggling with doing anything magical! I don't know anything."  
  
Wufei was silent for a moment as he walked in front of Duo and sat. The braided boy took his lead and sat as well. "You said that it was a reaction?"  
  
Duo shrugged. "Yeah. Nothing big. I put my hands up and it was there. Like...uh...not a reaction but an...instinct more. I mean, I didn't even think. I was just as surprised as she was when I popped up. But even though I was surprised, I wasn't. If you can understand what I mean. I mean, I knew I could do it deep down, but I still didn't think that it would just happen like it did."  
  
The black-haired boy nodded as though he understood what Duo was trying to say. "It says in the legends that you are born after each time that you are killed. Even though you are not the same person that you originally were, you still have part of that original being within you, somewhere, though it may be very deep. With that true self, or other self, these things come easily. As an original, you have done this many times before, and therefore you do know how to do it. All of it. But as a person, and individual who has been born and raised on the streets, you do not know these things. I assume that when you were put in such danger, it awakened a part of you that lead to that reaction. And in that other part of you it would be instinct, which would be a reason to you describing it as so."  
  
"Wow. I actually understood that!" The violet-eyed youth joked, then laughed nervously as he received no reaction out of the other. "Okay, sorry Wu. I'm trying to lighten the mood here." Duo's grin widened by a fraction as the sorcerer's face twisted as the name was used once again. "I'm just not the most technical person in the world, so it's nice that I could understand something as big and important as that. Can you understand at all where I'm coming from? Or am I talking to a brick wall here?"  
  
A sigh escaped the other's lips as he obviously struggled to keep from rolling his eyes. "Heero wants you to learn about all of this. War is going to start in a few days. Full out war, and then I'm not going to lend much, if any time, to you at all. Now is the only chance that we have to get you understanding some fraction of what you can do. Because if some power of yours instinctively comes up during war and you don't know about any rules towards controlling it then people can and most likely will die." He paused to let the braided boy process what had just been said and then continued before he could comment on it. "And we don't know if it's going to be one person that dies, or two, or two hundred, or two thousand. So. Do you understand now?"  
  
Duo nodded. Yeah, he understood. He understood from day one when Father Maxwell and Sister Helen told him what he was. But did he ever let that bother him before? No. He had always just let it pass him by. He could kill people by just touching them, and he had already taken too many lives by just doing that. He felt guilty enough for the people whom he still remembered, that rotted away in an alley or some other dark room because they held on too long, or he held on too long. Damn. After he had killed Solo he understood. He didn't have to be told by anybody, all it came down to was Solo. The fact that he had killed his best friend. "Yeah Wu. I understand. I've understood all along. But you can't let yourself get sucked away into despair, now and you? What would happen then?"  
  
'You'd finally be real again.'  
  
'Again? I never was real.'  
  
After a moments pause, Duo tilted his head to the side and looked out at the clear blue sky. "You think I could fly?" He wondered. "Hm? I mean, it wouldn't be harmful to try. And what if I need to do it during the war? Don't you think it'd be good for me to learn?"  
  
Wufei snorted audibly. "No."  
  
The braided boy rolled his eyes. "How did I know that you were going to say that? Okay fine. Then what's first that we work on oh teacher of the arts. Please lead me on," he stated in an extremely exaggerated manner.   
  
Once again there was a snort. "Your wings. Heero wants them retracted, correct?"  
  
Duo shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, that's what he wondered, if they could go back. I'm assuming that it would be less conspicuous and all that shit. I can agree though. Not to say that I get self conscious without a shirt on, it's just that I've already started to get some looks from the other servants and stuff. Wondering why I got a cloak probably. Especially when it isn't cold outside. It's the end of summer. Yeah, so, I guess that would be first. Wouldn't it?"  
  
The sorcerer nodded. "Have you already tried to contract them by yourself?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"They came out during...your claiming?" He wondered, his eyes diverted from the braided boy's.  
  
"Yeah. Along with Heero's. But his went away."  
  
Another nod. "Have you tried to do the same thing that you do in order to produce your scythe and make it disappear again. Just think the same way about your wings. It's only logical that it would work."  
  
"But that's what I've tried. Maybe the reason the scythe was easy was because I basically tried to do that with my wings. Wish them back into my body. I mean, I've tried everything I make them go away and they won't! And now they're drawing attention to me and that's just really not what anybody needs at the moment. And if only the stupid things would go away then everything would be a lot better than it all is right now. Right? Of course I'm right. Ungh. It's really hopeless. I wish he hadn't brought it up again. I truly have tried everything though. I see no reason as to have anything to work now," he explained, his wings folding back up gracefully and falling back around his shoulders.  
  
"Can I try something?" Wufei asked, eyebrow raise in question.  
  
"Sure. Why not?"  
  
"Okay. I need you to close your eyes and relax. Just completely let yourself cut lose. Everything. Your mind, your body, your spirit. I need it all detached from the stress that is in this world."  
  
Duo complied by closing his eyes and concentrating on nothing, letting himself completely go. When all of his muscles relaxed his hands lay limp over his knees and his chin was resting against his chest.   
  
Wufei waited a few minutes to make sure that the other teen was fully away from the conscious world and then let himself slip into a trance like state as well, while he thought solely on the spell he was going to try to perform. He was only a few minutes into the chanting when a murderous cry shattered his concentration and he was thrown back into the living world. For a moment he was disoriented and confused. And then he looked up and saw Duo.  
  
Every muscle in the boy's body had gone ridged. His fingers hand clawed holes in his pants and the skin on his own legs. His head was back, his eyes squeezed shut and his mouth hanging open as he howled in pain. His wings were out all of the way and straining down to the ground while twisting around in an impossible manner. Sweat covered his entire body and even without the unearthly yell it would have been obvious that he was in pain.   
  
Desperately, Wufei tried to undo what he had done so far of the spell, but it was practically useless. He needed the energy that he gained while in his trance. Yet with Duo's struggle he would never be able to get there. When he reached his last decision he reached forward with a magical hand and took what energy Duo had to add it to his own. What he got though, was something that he was unprepared for. A rush of power, mixed with pain and rage slammed into his body and literally threw him to his knees as he clutched his head. A minute passed where both youths were helplessly consumed by the same demon of pain until Wufei finally gained a level foot of control and was able to take just enough of the power that he needed to instantly cut what threads he had woven over the braided boy. As soon as the magical ties were gone the scream stopped and Duo's entire boy went slack as he fell to his side.   
  
No sooner was he on the ground that Wufei had a hand at his throat and was checking the other teen's life force that was too weak to pick up with his own spent magic. He sighed in relief when he found the violet-eyed boy to be alive. But he was no less stunned by the reaction that the spell had gotten. It was a simple one. Of the same sorts of dematerializing, simply putting the matter back within Duo. Even if it didn't work, which it obviously had not, it should not have caused anything such as pain or any other reaction. If it wasn't going to work then it shouldn't have hurt Duo at all.  
  
The door to the roof suddenly burst open and Wufei was instantly facing the intruder. He relaxed almost instantly. "Zechs. Shouldn't you be out with Trieze and Heero for escorts back to the castle?" He wondered, though he was truly thankful that the soldier was there.   
  
The long-haired man walked forward. "What happened Wufei?"  
  
Wufei sighed and rubbed his temples. "It was a simple spell. Nothing that should have caused any reaction. Least of all this. It went completely wrong. Completely. I don't know. Can you help me get him into a bed Zechs?" He wondered, still rubbing his throbbing head. "I don't think I have enough energy left in me."  
  
"Of course. Anything for my best friend's lover," he said and grinned as he bent down and gently picked up the pale boy that was lying on the ground. Wufei simply groaned and then blond's smile disappeared. "You're really not feeling good. Are you?" He asked, concern tinting the edges of his voice. "You look like you could use a bed yourself."  
  
"No. I have to find out what went wrong. He shouldn't have been in that amount of pain." He groaned again. "How far away were you Zechs? How many people heard him screaming?"  
  
Zechs shrugged. "I wasn't that far. I was actually coming up to ask you a few questions. One of which being why Heero would want me to stay here while he went to escort Quatre out of the kingdom," he explained. "Though I have a feeling that I should wait for another time to ask you that."  
  
The sorcerer nodded. "I think that you're going to find out soon enough Zechs. Trust me though. It is not for any small deed that he keeps you here while he goes out. I'm almost surprised that he didn't leave Trieze here as well. Though, I assume that he needed to bring about his Captain at least for show. Right?"  
  
"I assume that you're right. But I plan on looking forward to finding out what is behind all of this. Especially what's behind the war that's starting."  
  
Wufei's head snapped up, his eyes wide in shock. "How do you know about that Zechs? Nobody is suppose to know yet. Does anybody else know about this?" He snapped, eyes narrowing.  
  
The other man stepped back slightly. "Nobody else knows. Trieze told me that Heero told him the other night. He thought that it would only be responsible of himself to tell his right hand man. Though I have a feeling that Heero's going to have a meeting with us sometime today. Would I be right about that guess Wufei?"  
  
"Yes. Yes. Now quit talking and get him down to Heero's bedroom. And call Sally in. I don't have enough energy to do anything."  
  
Zechs nodded and started to turn down another hallway as they entered the castle from the roof.   
  
"Oh and Zechs."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"May I suggest that you keep a close eye on Sally while she's working on him. I don't want her dying any time soon. Surprisingly enough she's a strong woman."  
  
The taller man nodded once again and then the two parted ways. 


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King.  
  
Chapter 24 -   
  
Heero was half way back to the palace when he felt it, a twisting pain that thudded in his shoulder blades and he instantly knew that something had happened to Duo. Something painful. Without a second thought he spurred his horse forward and flew through the streets, leaving a startled Trieze and half a dozen personal guards behind. He didn't even take the time to give some explanation and was quickly out of sight of the group that had just then started to follow him.   
  
The prince kicked his horse again and the stallion pushed itself harder until they were going so fast that they seemed to be flying. A few unfortunate innocents didn't even have time to look up, much less get out of the way of Heero's horse, and were just barely missed as the expert horseman would swerve around them. It was only a matter of minutes until Heero was galloping through the palace gates and all but rode his horse up into the main hall and jumped of, landing in a run headed straight for his and Duo's room. And quickly disappearing, leaving dazed and confused servants behind him. If anything had happened to Duo that he expected to have happened then he would be in bed.  
  
As Heero made his way around a corner he just scarcely missed running directly into Zechs who was walking in the opposite direction.  
  
"Heero."  
  
"Not now Zechs," the short-haired boy grunted and was about to start off again when a hand clasped his wrist. Immediately he spun around to face Zechs. "What are you doing? I said not right now." He paused, studying the taller man's serious face and let him talk even though he knew what was coming.   
  
"It's about Duo. He's in bed right now. But..."  
  
Heero nodded and twisted his wrist from the man's grip. "Come with me. I was just on my way to find out what happened. Can you tell me?"  
  
The blond-haired man shrugged a shoulder. "Not much. Only that I heard him scream and went up[ to the roof to see what was going on. Wufei and his were up there together, no attackers as far as I could see. Duo was unconscious on the ground and Wufei was checking his pulse, making sure that everything was okay. When I asked Wufei about it though he said that he had just been performing a simple spell that shouldn't have turned out the way it did." After the short explanation he eyed the teen beside him. "I assume that you would know about the spell that he was trying?"  
  
The prince nodded. "I'm pretty sure that I know."  
  
"Heero. Why would Wufei be performing a spell on a slave? Unless they were a threat. Which you have continued to tell us he is not," he blond-haired man wondered. "And there's another thing. Wufei told me to have Sally come in and see that Duo was okay. Right after that he told me to look after Sally while she was working on him because he didn't want her dying any time soon. What's going on?" He asked, knowing that there was more to the situation at hand than met the eye.  
  
"There's something that I've been meaning to tell you and Trieze. After I check on Duo I'll want to meet with both of you in the library office."  
  
Zechs nodded. "Good. Because we have been meaning to have our own conversation with you. We have many questions that need to be answered, and we feel that you have been holding back important information. Something that you have never done to us before, that we have known about."  
  
"You'd be right to have your suspicions. There has been much to keep in secrecy lately and it seems that I have not had all of the time to do my planing as I thought that I would. I never meant to leave you and Trieze out of this. That was always far from my mind. It seems to have simply worked out that way in the end though," Heero explained smoothly, despite the fact that all he could think about at the moment was his lover and what had gone wrong with whatever spell Wufei had tried to use for the wing dissipation. "Let me suggest that you go out and wait for Trieze and the rest of the personal guard to arrive, they should be coming in soon. Make sure to tell Trieze that I'm fine and that I'll be calling the both of you soon to talk."  
  
The blond nodded again. "You left them back there?"  
  
Heero grunted in response to the question and Zechs smiled.  
  
"He's going to be mad at you. You do that too often to actually be safe." Zechs paused, waiting for some kind of response. When he didn't get one he sighed and continued. "Okay then. I'll go down and meet them. Don't expect me to do anything more than be the messenger. I'm not going to calm him down this time." With that the two separated ways.  
  
It only took a few minutes for Heero to get to his and Duo's room. Making sure to not disturb his lover in the case that he was sleeping, Heero opened the door carefully. He had barely moved it though when Duo's voice drifted out from the room.  
  
"Don't worry Heero, I'm fine."  
  
Heero entered the room and closed the door behind him. The first thing that he noticed was that Duo was not in bed, but in fact sitting in the window sill with his legs hanging out the castle, his back facing the door. "I felt something and came," the dark-haired teen explained as he walked forward, leaning his back against the wall next to Duo, his head turned and studying the side of this lover's face that he could see. "What happened? I know that Wufei wouldn't do something to intentionally hurt you." He sighed. "Even if it's not obvious, he likes you more than most people."  
  
Duo smiled softly and turned his head to face Heero. "I know. And it really wasn't his fault. It was my own. I really thought that it would work, that nothing would happen and that it would all be fine." He shrugged and let his smile grow as he looked back out over the kingdom. "Do you think that I'll ever be able to fly?"  
  
"Duo."  
  
The braided boy rolled his eyes and leaned back into the room a little bit, his hands gripping the edge of the sill, making sure that he didn't fall back. "I know. You want to know what happened." He glance over at the blue-eyed prince quickly and then returned to looking at the sky. "We were up on the roof. A nice place if I can say so myself. And Wu," he paused and grinned at the mental image of Heero's expression at the nickname, "decided that he would try a spell that would cause my wings to materialize back into my body, still be retractable, but just go completely back, like you wanted. So I sat down and closed my eyes like he said and let my entire body relax. I sensed him sitting down in from of him and I suspected that he was going into a trance but I had to let go of that realization to and just concentrate on nothing." The teen shrugged and started to swing his legs, knocking his bare ankles lightly against the stone of the castle. "I could feel him gathering his power, I've always been really aware of sorcerer's power. And then he started to direct it towards me. More specifically my wings.  
  
"The reason why it all went wrong is because a sorcerer's power is pure. Or most sorcerer's powers are pure. Like Wufei's. And it doesn't react well with me, considering I'm a thing of death and destruction, and overall, in-pure things. I've been living in this castle though, surrounded by his power and spells and I haven't been bothered, for the most part. So I thought that it would work if he preformed a spell on me." Duo finished as he leaned forward, most of his body hanging out the window, causing Heero to tense his muscles, ready to jump in and save his lover if he lost his grip and started to fall. "I shouldn't have been so stupid. I've lived my entire life on the streets and survived by following certain rules and just because I've found a place that accepts me, for the most part, and things are going well, doesn't mean that I can just forget about everything that has happened to me before."  
  
Heero's eyes narrowed at the statement. "Duo. I know how you must feel."  
  
Duo let out a deep breath and swung backward, balancing himself as his arms flew up in an exaggerated gesture. "No you don't Heero!" He exclaimed. Then, when his arms dropped back to the 'sill, "And Heaven only knows how much I want you to at times. It would be so much easier, to be able to take comfort knowing that you knew what was going through my mind. And then...I don't want you to know." The braided boy sighed and tilted back, his head turning so that he could look straight into Heero's cobalt eyes. "Because then you would know about see everything that I've seen happen to people. And you wouldn't be able to feel the same way you do about the world again." His voice lower with his eyes and the youth went on, "You wouldn't be able to feel the same way about me."  
  
The prince reached out a hand and gripped the violet-eyed boy's chin gently yet firmly, though the other still refused to look him in the eyes. "Nothing would make me feel differently about you Duo. I swear that to you," he declared determinedly. "You have to be able to trust me Duo. Believe me when I tell you that nothing would or will change if I find out anything more about you than I already know. Please Duo. Just trust me."  
  
Slowly, the braided boy's eyes lifted from the ground, and met the dark-haired teen's unyielding stare that unsettled and reassured him at the same time. A few moments passed without sound or movement and ten Duo finally nodded cautiously. "Okay," he murmured.   
  
Their gaze held for a couple more seconds when Heero's icy eyes softened and his thumb ran down the shorter boy's jaw soothingly. Another minute passed and a the prince's lips twitched downward. "I'm sorry Duo, but I have to go to a meeting with Trieze and Zechs now. I'm going to be informing them about what's going on," he stated, running is thumb light over the braided boy's lips as his hand slid down to his side. "Are you going to be okay on your own for awhile? Do you need anything?"  
  
Duo shook his head and sighed. "I'm so sick of this room. I feel as though every time I've been in here it's because something went wrong with me or I'm hurt or something of the sort." Turning his gaze back outside toward the city he shrugged. "I think I'm going to take a bath. Or maybe I'll wait to do that with you. I don't know. I am going to get out of this room though. I think that I heal faster than people really expect me to. I'm just wondering who I got the energy from. I could feel Wufei taking it even through my pain." He again casually shrugged. "It wasn't anything big though, so don't get mad. He needed the power in order to stop the spell. I just wonder how he got it without getting hurt."  
  
"Are you sure you're fine?"  
  
Throwing a soft grin over his shoulder Duo nodded. "I'm perfectly okay. Just needed a little boost, that's all."   
  
- - - - -   
  
Heero sat silently with Zechs and Trieze. Both men waited patiently for the prince to finish filing through the book on his lap. Once the prince had found what he wanted he looked up. "There has been a lot going on that neither of you know about. SO I have decided to explain it to you in the new light of things. First is that the Sanq Kingdom has declared war."  
  
"It's true?"  
  
"We had hear a rumor, and also, from the way that you and Relena had been acting. We had suspected, but doubted that it was actually going to occur, with her goal of total pacifism and everything," Zechs stated.  
  
Heero nodded expectantly. He hadn't had any doubt about a rumor, or the fact that Trieze and Zechs would start to notice the tension and become suspicious themselves. "So far she has kept quiet, ever since she has left the Kingdom, though I believe that she has been preparing for this for awhile," the prince informed. "Continuing on Relena. I have learned that the Hunter Race has bred itself back and has made alliances with the Sanq Kingdom."  
  
"So you're saying that if, no, when we go to war then we'll be fighting Hunters?" Trieze wondered in slight disbelief.  
  
Heero nodded somberly. "That's why I've been trying to get you to push our soldiers so hard. I have been expecting this, knowing that the threat was there, and not wanting to be defenseless. But I thought as both of you. Relena has such a strong sense of pacifism that I never thought it would truly come to war over refusal of marriage. I have also got Wufei working on a defense system for our soldiers to keep them from feeling any of the natural reactions when a Hunter and Vampire meet."  
  
The group sat in silence for a few minutes as Trieze and Zechs absorbed what they had been told. "There's something else though. Isn't there?" Zechs questioned, reading the dark-haired teen's ridged body as a state of untold apprehension.  
  
"Yes. I haven't been honest in telling you what I know about Duo. There are things about his that I rather not be told, yet I think that it is necessary for you two to know them and be aware of them." The prince paused and then turned to the book in his lap. "Wufei found this only a few days after Duo first came to the castle."  
  
- - - - -   
  
It was the day after Heero had had his meeting with Trieze and Zechs, and Duo could sense the man's eyes on him as he walked past the training grounds. He had only gone by a few times to see if Hilde could spar, but she and every single other soldier was training. Obviously getting prepared for war. Apparently Heero was in the Library or something other work place within the castle with Wufei, working on how he would present the presence of war and the truth of his Vamperic identity to his people. So Duo was left, once again, alone and bored.  
  
Aimlessly he wandered outside the castle, within the castle walls. It didn't take long though for the teen to find himself walking along the wall feeling as though he were a trapped animal. Eventually he stopped beside a tree and looked around cautiously. Nobody was in sight and so the braided boy quickly climbed up and jumped over the wall, into the middle of a city street.   
  
Almost instantly the cagey feeling of being trapped was lifted from the teen's shoulders and he started to slink along the busy streets, keeping in the shadows. He was still aware of the fact that all he wore was a pair of black pants, trimmed with blue and silver. That, and his black cloak. As the teen slid through the streets his old habits started to seep back to him. Constantly Duo's violet eyes were moving sizing up everything person who walked by and every shop keeper he passed. It wasn't long before he found himself in a grubby pair of pants and some old shoes, feeling completely at home.   
  
A slight feeling of guilt tugged at the braided boy's mind for feeling good on the streets when Heero provided him with everything that he need, kept him clothed, fed and protected. Not to mention loved.  
  
The smell of roast lamb and a fresh baked pie drew Duo from his thought and the teen instinctively headed toward the smell. The source was 'The Red Dragon Inn'. Duo smiled to himself and walked inside, sitting at an empty table close to the back. In a couple of minutes a girl came back to him with a mug full of mead and a plate of lamb, potatoes, bread, and a slice of pie. It was the first real meal the teen had had since he could remember coming to Prydain Kingdom.   
  
Duo immediately dug into his plate and felt more than disappointed when he found himself full before half of it was gone. Obviously he had become accustom to the small meals he ate at the castle. He then went about asking for a room and made a graceful, fee, escape from his room window.  
  
Duo spent the rest of the day pick-pocketing random people through the streets who had enough money to spare, and handing it off to the hidden, crouched, shy, poorer portion of the population he saw scuttling through the streets. He was surprised at his own disbelief at seeing that Vampire could line in practically the same conditions that Human did, except for the Human slave he saw running errands for their Masters. They were the ones who got most of the money that Duo stole.   
  
By the time the teen got control of himself the key was purple and orange with the sunset and he had roughly a hundred and fifty dollars still in his pockets. Swearing silently to himself, the teen dashed through the streets towards the castle.  
  
He was just about to make it back safely without getting caught when, as he slid over the all, a hand grabbed his foot as he was just about to drop down. For a moment the teen's heart stopped until his looked down. He let his breath out in a sigh of relief when he saw that it was just Wufei. An angry looking Wufei, but Wufei none the less. The black-haired boy release his ankle and Duo dropped to the ground with a soft thud.   
  
"Heero has been wondering about you."  
  
"I'm sorry. I just felt so caged up, and...I needed to get out," Duo tried to explain, hoping that neither Wufei or Heero would get too upset at him.  
  
Wufei's features soften slightly. "I won't tell him. But you better. I have to get you ready for dinner. The Lord's are all dining tonight, Heero is presenting everything. We don't have long until battle and we need all of our soldiers ready," the sorcerer stated quickly as the two made their way to the castle. "What did you do?"  
  
Duo smiled as curiously finally caught up with the other teen. "I had a free meal and then raised money for the needy for the rest of the day." Wufei looked at him sideways and the braided boy continued to smile as he confessed more bluntly. "It's natural. I stole a meal and gave rich people's money away to the not so rich."  
  
"Playing hero?"  
  
"No. I just know what it means to be poor and be handed a couple of copper coins, much less a silver. You feel as though God has given you a second chance at life and that you could do anything in the world. You can finally get on your feet again."  
  
Wufei nodded and then eyed the braided boy. "I hate to pass a sentimental moment, but, you need to take a bath and get ready for dinner. Not to mention that we only have a limited time to do this in too."  
  
"Okay, okay," Duo muttered. "I really have to go to dinner?"  
  
The black-haired boy glared sideways. "Yes."  
  
"Sorry. I just don't want to be stuck on the ground again. Is that too much to ask?" The braided teen sighed and turned to inspect Wufei, his eyes narrowed in concentration.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why do you make sure that I get everything done? Don't you have all important things you need to be doing?" He shrugged and then continued. "I mean. Shouldn't another servant or something be doing all of this? Not that I don't like you. It just seems odd."  
  
"With what you are? No. Besides, Heero trusts me to make sure that you don't get into too much trouble. And you're...interesting to talk to."  
  
"Really?" Duo exclaimed.  
  
Wufei rolled his eyes and sighed. "Just go take your bath."  
  
- - - - -   
  
Duo walked behind and to the right of Heero as they enter the dining hall. As the prince sat, the teen took his place on the ground, sitting with his legs crossed. He was wearing nearly the same pair of pants that he had had on that morning but they were slightly see-through. Wufei had told him that it was to make up for having the 'cloak' that covered so much of his skin.   
  
His hair was back in the standard braid except it had been stylized so that small grouped strands hung out in a couple places. Two ribbons, blue and silver, were woven in to his braid from top to bottom back to the top again where the ends disappeared. The last piece of his outfit was the slave jewelry that he had been allowed not to wear everything day, and only needed on special occasions.  
  
He sighed and laid his head on Heero's leg. The day in the city had made him more exhausted than he had thought and sitting at a relatively boring dinner was not going to help him stay any more awake. There was nothing to worry about with the presentations, Heero would handle everything perfectly well.   
  
Heero stared to address his guests, telling them to eat first and let the discussion come later. There were no looks of disapproval and soon every Lord had started to eat.  
  
The braided boy let his eyes slide shut, shaking away the little pieces of food that Heero tried to hand down to him. It came as a surprise to himself that he was still full from the Red Dragon Inn's meal. His eating habits had definitely changed. A pleasurable sigh escaped the teen's lips as warmth radiated from Heero's leg and soaked into his cheek. Sleep had nearly grasped him when everybody stopped eating and Heero's voice jarred Duo to awareness.  
  
"I have some disturbing news to present to you my Lords, and I am sorry that I must do so. I have been working hard to prevent such incidents from taking place, but all the Sanq Kingdom has declared war against us." He paused and let the Lords speak quietly among themselves for a few moments. Duo enhanced his hearing and caught bit of the conversations taking place.  
  
"War?"  
  
"Are we going to go to war for a Human King?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"The Sanq Kingdom is Human. Maybe they're planning something together."  
  
"When did this happen?"  
  
"Probably when the Princess was here a few days ago."  
  
"We can't fight Humans with a Human King. He'll pity them and then go soft. We can't let his Humanity be the end of all of us."  
  
"Of course. But how are we going to overthrow him now and find another King in time to fight the war?"  
  
Heero cleared his throat and silence feel on the hall. Goblets were placed in front of every Lord, the prince was handed his last, swirling it slightly as he looked on over the Lords. All eyes were on the goblet and its known contents. Heero had never done this standard tradition at dinners before, as he had been trying to pass himself as Human. "May we come out of this with triumph as the victor," he stated clearly. The prince raised the goblet in a toast and drank deeply.  
  
In the days that followed, Heero spent much of his time with Trieze and Zechs, looking over battle plans. There had still been no word from the Sanq Kingdom but Relena was no doubt planning something. Having been nearly, but not yet completely, forgotten by the prince, Duo took to pestering Wufei. Only until the sorcerer had threatened to turn him into a cow and then transformed the next person to walk in the door into a fish to prove his point. Unfortunately that person had been Trieze doing a check in on the two.  
  
The braided boy then left the sorcerer along in fear of his physical form, and tromped up to the roof, sitting down exactly where he had been the day that Wufei had wanted to start his first lessons. There had been no further lessons and Duo had started to get aggravated. He could feel the power inside him boiling, inching closer and closer to an exploding point. The only hope that the teen had was that no exploding would happen before battle began.  
  
"Besides, if I try to practice on my own then I'll blow something up anyway," he muttered as he lay on the cold stone, completely splayed out. Duo let out a deep breath and looked up at the clouds, or the few of them that had dared interrupt the perfect blue sky. War still didn't seem real. In fact, none of it truly felt real to him. It was just another figment of his imagination that was torturing him. It was all a dream, the entire thing, and he was really just about to wake up and find himself still in the cell in Relena's dungeon in the Sanq Kingdom. Or maybe back at the orphanage with Solo standing above him wondering how he could sleep for so long.   
  
The braided teen chuckled. What a dream this would make. What a story to tell the other kids.   
  
Duo closed his eyes and rolled to his stomach, letting his wings spread out to catch the sun's noon rays. He could feel his stomach and chest start to cramp with hunger and tried to ignore it even though he knew he shouldn't. It felt to good to be laying there, doing nothing, thinking about nothing. Besides, hunger meant that he had to go find a person who he could get something life from without effecting their performances. And right now everybody was working on war somehow, or at least doing things to help those who were working on the war. All he needed now was to kill some dire person who was the only key to winning. NO, he could hold off. Or maybe he could go to the city and get something from there.   
  
He huffed. No. Heero had forbidden him to leave for any reasons that were not an absolute necessary, as in a decision of life and death. He could convince himself that there was a life and death decision taking place, but it hadn't become that important yet, and he knew it.  
  
The pain gnawed, not too bad, but constant and annoying. Another bad part of feeding would be that his magic would get a boost, and then what would he do? He was already at his wits end about keeping what he had under controlled supervision. He couldn't imagine having to handle anything else.   
  
He would have to go hungry.   
  
And then what? Go berserk?  
  
The teen growled at himself. What other person in the world had to deal with this problem? Maybe Vampires, but only to a small extent. The difficulties in life were really the easy things. How much did that suck?  
  
Duo was still contemplating his problem when he hear horses galloping into the castle grounds. Gripped by curiosity, the teen stood and concentrated on enhancing his hearing as he walked to the edge and looked down at the activity.  
  
"It's started!" A breathless rider exclaimed.  
  
The stable manager stood, anxious and confused. "What Sir? What's started?"  
  
"Get to Prince Heero! Tell him that the Sanq Kingdom has started their advance!" The soldier shouted at the man who instantly bobbed his head and ran toward the castle. The door to the roof was already clicking shut behind Duo.  
  
In a matter of seconds the braided boy had made his way to the library and had barged in on Heero's meeting with Trieze and Zechs. All three looked up at the loud crashing of the door and narrowed their eyes in suspicion at the teen's haggard form. "Sanq has started their advancement!" He gasped, shoving his loose hair out of his face. The group paused and looked at each other.  
  
"How do you know that Duo? And what have you been doing?"  
  
Duo growled. "I didn't prophesize it or ride out myself! A soldier just came in and I heard what he was saying," the teen explained quickly. Instantly the three were in action.  
  
- - - - -   
  
Duo laid in bed, stomach down, face buried in a pillow. Hours had passed since darkness had fallen and he needed some sleep. He had been up helping Heero and the others with their last minute cattle plans and also been told to keep his hearing focused in case any more messages came in from riders. After draining his power away by listening for what seemed to be an entire day, and also running around doing odd errands, all he wanted to do was collapse, and promptly did so. Thus earning the right to go to bed. Heero, Wufei, Trieze, Zechs, and Noin on the other hand, were still awake. OR at least, had been when he had left.  
  
Once the message of Relena's movement had been confirmed everything that was out was put to use, including maps, books, strategy guides, and people. They started to chart, where, and what direction, and what formation they were moving in. then, from what information was gained from that, they started to pick out the best battle field in the rout that Relena was most likely taking, and how they would start to move their own troops.   
  
In bed Duo groaned, he didn't even want to think about it, his brain still hurt, and his stomach and chest were still aching, though it had dulled enough to let him stand it and maybe even sleep. He closed his eyes in the pillow and let out a deep breath, allowing himself to relax as he did so. Exhaustion pulled at every limb, and every fiber of muscle in his body, begging him to release the conscious world. As he started to give in, the door squeaked slightly as the knob turned and Heero stepped into the room quietly.  
  
"Decide to get sleep?" The braided boy mumbled.  
  
"I woke you."  
  
"No...just delayed sleep," Duo explained, rolling onto his back and letting his eyelids drop.  
  
"I was just checking in and changing," the prince stated as he started to strip down. "Go back to bed Duo. You've done a lot today."  
  
Duo moaned a half agreement and half disapproval. "You need sleep too you know. You're the one that's going to war."  
  
"I need to make sure everything is prepared correctly. I'll be in soon to sleep. I promise. Now will you go back to be?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in slight frustration.  
  
"No. I'll stay up too," The braided boy started to drag himself to the edge of the bed until he was stopped by Heero.  
  
"Go back to bed Duo, you're obviously tired," he stated softly though still with an authoritative tone.   
  
The braided boy relaxed and fell back into the bed. "Are you sure?" He wondered, voice barely above a whisper. "I can still try to keep," he yawned silently and then continued, "an ear open for more news," he suggested.  
  
"It's fine. Besides, it's only Trieze, Zechs, and myself left awake anyway. Wufei's been doing spells all day and is in the same position as you," the prince explained, placing his hand on top of Duo's forehead and gently pulling back the long chestnut bangs that had fallen into the other boy's face.  
  
"An' Noin?"  
  
Heero eyes the teen whose eyes were already closed and mentally sighed. no matter what Duo said or did he would always think of him as needing protection and help. "She's been put in charge of the guards for the night."  
  
Duo mouth opened slightly as he tried to hold back another yawn. "Maybe I could help her,' he stated, lips barely moving as he spoke with his yes still closed.  
  
"Duo. Go to sleep and get your rest. You deserve and need it."  
  
The braided boy looked as though he was going to try to say something else buy failed, and instead, settled for settling once again into the bed and letting sleep claim him.   
  
- - - - - -   
  
The next day Duo woke up in an empty bed except for himself. He growled in frustration as he tried to weave his fingers over to Heero's body and found only cold sheets. cold sheets that had no sign that anybody had slept in them at all.  
  
Muttering a variety of curses the violet-eyed teen slid on a pair of boggy pants that Heero had let him have to just do nothing in, then pulled a quilt over his shoulders, and started to walk through the castle not caring who saw him. Everybody already knew that he slept in Heero's chambers and was the prince's  
personal slave, so why no act like it for once?  
  
Once in the library, the teens started to search through the mazes of books. Half and hour later, Duo had stumbled across the prince's office and found Heero sleeping in a chair with battle plans splayed in front of him. Duo smiled to himself and plodded his way to the prince, finally crawling into his lap and burring his face into the taller boy's chest and wrapping his arms  
loosely around his lover.   
  
The sleeping Heero let out a breath and his arms surrounded Duo, keeping him carefully in place. Instinctively his chin fell down on top of Duo's head and he tightened his grip. "Duo..."  
  
Duo sat, completely comfortable with the quilt and Heero's arms around him and decided to say as such and let Heero sleep until the prince either woke up, or had to be woken up. It was only a fem minutes though, until Heero gave himself away by changing his position and nibbling lightly on the braided boy's neck.  
  
"Morning Heero," Duo sighed, exposing his neck further. "I wanted to let you sleep in," he explained, snuggling closer. "I wanted to be with you."  
  
"Thank you. I did sleep in," the prince stated, content in his nibbling.  
  
"How late did you stay up last night? And why didn't you come to bed. You promised," Duo wondered. His tries at an authoritative voice loosing his battle against Heero mouth.   
  
"Not too late. I didn't want to wake you again."  
  
Duo huffed. "Not too late?"  
  
"Four."  
  
"Four?! Heero! You're going into war and you're staying up till all hours of the night?" Duo exclaimed, pulling away from the taller teen and staring at him in partial sock, anger, and worry.  
  
The prince sighed and brought the chestnut-haired boy back against his body. "Don't worry about me."  
  
"How can I not? War is dangerous enough if you're going into it with a full night's sleep. And you just want to go test the limits of how much you can do by getting as little sleep as possible. I have to worry now. You never do," he muttered. "Why can't you just stay here?"  
  
"Duo, I have to go with my men. That's how things are done," Heero stated roughly enough to make sure that there would be no further tries of conviction otherwise.  
  
The violet-eyed boy nodded against his lover's chest. "I understand. But it doesn't change how I feel about it. At least, if you can't stay, don't deny my going. I promise that I won't get killed or caught. I won't be a burden. You can keep me at the back. Just let me go," he begged, hands gripping Heero's shirt until his knuckles turned white. "Please?"  
  
At first there was no answer. Heero sat still, only his right hand moving as he glided it along Duo's upper leg. "You would go even if I said no. Wouldn't you?" He wondered aloud.   
  
Duo felt his heart crumble. "You know I wouldn't be able to do that. I can't do anything against you're will," he stated, his voice flat as he tried to face his defeat in the matter. "I can't lie to you. I can't do anything you don't want me to do. I can't disobey..."  
  
"Would you go though?"  
  
"Yes. I would. I can't deny you anything. But I would try to deny you that," the winged teen stated calmly, a steal hard tone entering his voice as he set his resolve. He would be damned if he let Heero go to war and risk his life without letting him go beside him.   
  
Heero nodded. The pause that followed was shorter and soon the prince was answering. "I guess you are going to deny me that privilege then. I cannot hold you back from doing something that you have set your mind to doing Duo," he stated carefully.  
  
A small gasp of surprise escaped Duo's lips and he hugged the dark-haired boy tightly. "That you Heero. I promise you that I won't do anything wrong. The I'll be fine throughout the battle," he breathed in a rush, a grin creeping onto his face. "Thank you."  
  
Heero smiled at him through his eyes and spoke. "Not that is settled. Should we get breakfast?"  
  
"That would be a good idea if I wanted to get up," Duo informed, hunkering down. "Besides, I'm too afraid that you'll run off to you're battle plans as soon as I get up." When he looked up Heero was giving him a 'that's ridiculous' look that made Duo chuckle softly. "It's true. Now tell me. What did you have planned for the day. And tell me the truth."  
  
The prince paused, a shallow look of defeat entering his features. "Work," he confessed.  
  
Duo frowned. "See, I told you. Now, did you all decide how soon the battle field will be reached?" He wondered. "And when are out troops leaving for war?"  
  
The prince looked past Duo quickly down at the papers on the desk. "Maybe five days to a week for her to get to the point. And that means that we leave in two or three days," he explained, his eyes returning and meeting Duo's The two simply started at each other for a few moment before Heero whispered, "Make sure that nothing happens to you." Duo nodded softly and allowed himself to be lifted up as Heero stood, and cradled. "Now we'll get some breakfast."  
  
Heero's lips twitched into a smile as he stood. "Are you even dressed?" He asked, eyes searching over what parts of the brunet's body did show and doubted that he was. Duo squirmed a bit as the blue-eyed teen dug his fingers gently into the quilt and the answer was given without the need of words. The fingers didn't stop though, and Heero's face quickly became somber. "Do you ever go to the kitchen to eat real meals like I suggested Duo?"   
  
"Uh...yeah, I used to, but I don't really get hungry for food much any more," the teen said, hoping that Heero hadn't found the real reason that he had been squirming away from the prying fingers, though already knowing he was found out.  
  
They stopped walking and Heero looked down at the smaller boy. "You weigh next to nothing Duo. Do you eat anything any more. You don't ever take much of what I offer," the prince stated.  
  
"Well, I'm just not hungry," Duo mumbled , avoiding eye contact.  
  
"I refused to let you come with me unless you start eating Duo," Heero's tone and facial features made no room for any argument of any kind.  
  
"I don't mean not to eat...it just never ends up happening cause I don't get hungry," the braided boy explained.  
  
Heero nodded. "I wouldn't think you would do it purposefully, but my resolution still stands. Now lets get something real to eat," the prince stated, and continued out the door and down the hall with his lover in his arms.   
  
When they got to the private dinning area the prince set Duo down to walk in on his own. Wufei, Trieze, Zechs, and Noin were already sitting at the table eating. Nobody said anything about Duo in nothing but a quilt being seat in a chair beside the prince, though Wufei eyed the scene and nodded to himself in approval, making Heero wonder just how much he had been missing in his busy days following the announcements.  
  
"I finished the spell," Wufei stated, once the prince had taken a seat and both he and Duo had been served. "the once for reaction protection and also some smaller barriers for spells that Hunters may use to cheat during battle. Unfortunately there is not that much information on what Hunters are truly capable of, so I'm mostly working in the dark," he informed.  
  
"Thank you Wufei. I'm sure that you've done as much as possible," Heero stated and stopped. Speaking against right before any of the others could start on with something else. "I know that war is nipping at our heels, but lets have at least one meal in peace."  
  
Trieze nodded in agreement. "We don't want to overload ourselves before we get this finished with."  
  
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence as each member at the table thought about the up coming battles.  
  
The day passed relatively slowly. Once breakfast had been finished everybody except for Duo disappeared back to the library with the plans and ideas. Sometime in the afternoon the braided boy found himself in the kitchen with Mrs. Crawford, the head cook, clucking over him like a mother hen.   
  
The teen had just finished the small plate he had been given when he heard a faint scream, seeming as though to pierce through the sky. He looked around cautiously and saw that nobody else had been bothered, or looked as though they had hear anything out of the ordinary. All day he had been taking bits of energy from the Human servants in the castle and his senses had been enhancing steadily. Carefully he put his plate down and slid from the kitchen.  
  
The teen consciously enhanced his hearing even more, trying to catch as much of the scene as possible. The horse was being ridden erratically fast, twigs and other brush were being trampled and broken and the rider grunted as one ripped his arm. Whoever it was, they were still in the forest. The rider grunted again and Duo realized that it was because of real pain. An injury. He, no, she. Duo could tell the difference by the lightness that the horse galloped with and how fast the animal was traveling that a lighter framed rider was mounted. She was breathing shallowly, coming in quick gasps. A fatal wound.   
  
"Come on. Faster!" She whispered, urging her horse faster. "We have to get to the castle!"  
  
Duo winced at the shattering sound of hoof striking stone rung through his ears and the horse plummeted to the earth. Suddenly he snapped back to reality as his shoulder was shaken. The teen blinked rapidly. The girl was going to die soon and she had important information. Stuttering an apology to the woman beside him, the braided boy ran across the castle ground into the stable.  
  
"Hey! You can't be in here! Servants aren't allowed by the horses!" The stable-manager shouted, rushing towards Duo who shoved him away and flung himself onto the closest animal. Weaving his fingers tightly in its mane he kicked hard and galloped away, dashing past the guards at the gate before they could do anything to stop him.  
  
By the time the violet-eyed boy found the girl in the forest, his horse's mouth was frothing and they were both gasping for breath. The first thing he had spotted was the horse that whish still lay on the ground, dry foam around its mouth and it's neck bent back from having smashed into the ground. Next he saw the girl; a red-head in her early twenties.   
  
She lay, one leg crushed under her mount, with one hand grasping her side from wear blood continued to pump, covering her fingers and making a small puddle around her body. Her face was pale white and her breathing was barely noticeable.   
  
Carefully, Duo knelt down beside her, bringing her head into his lap. The woman's eyes cracked open and she looked up at him in partial confusion. "I'm Duo," the braided boy stated softly, brushing back red stands of hair from her sweat covered forehead. "I...I heard you riding. And then the fall. I got here as soon as I could. But..." His voice trailed off. He didn't know what to say that would sound believable, and if he didn't get the information now, she would die before he could transport her to the castle.  
  
The woman continued to stay tense in his lap, despite the pain it brought to her. "Are...you from...Prydain?" She gasped, forcing herself not to look desperate.  
  
Duo nodded. "Yes. I live in the city," he informed and could feel her relaxing.   
  
"...message..." she whispered, blood working up her throat and starting to dribble from her lips as she worked her jaw silently. "...for the Prince..." She stopped again and coughed, moving her head to the side and spraying blood everywhere. Duo carefully moved her into more of a sitting position, leaning her against his body as he tried to help her stop the attack. "...Relena is...moving quickly...sh-she's burning everything...maybe two or three...more days..."  
  
The braided boy blinked in surprise. Heero had thought it would be five, maybe even a week. How fast exactly was the Princess moving and when had she really started her advance. Duo looked down at the woman and tried to look on encouragingly, but his eyes were narrowed in confusion of his own. "But you're Human. Why would you tell us this?" He wondered, not understanding.  
  
The red-head smiled up at him as her eyes started to glaze over. "...for peace...promise me that...you'll tell the Prince," she ordered, using the last of her strength to sound threatening.   
  
"Of course. I swear to you."  
  
"Thank you," she whispered, and her eyes closed with her last shaking breath.  
  
Duo nodded to the dead girl. He felt slightly guilty as having taken the woman's life, but knew it had been the best thing to do. She wouldn't have lived in time to get help and she was suffering too much. He knew the message and that was the most important part. A complete stranger, yet she had been worthy of pity. Giving her life to warn a Kingdom who hated her kind. For peace. Obviously Princess Relena was not loved or believed by all of her people.   
  
The braided boy stood slowly, gently laying the woman on the ground. He walked to the other side of her dead horse and grabbed the hind legs and pulled as hard as he could. The animal's body didn't give an inch. He returned to her and knelt by the covered leg. Digging his hands under the hors's back, he lifted, grunting with effort. Finally he was forced to grab her and pull backward. The woman's body was freed and Duo walked out to get the gray mare he had borrowed from the stable, and guided it back to the scene slowly. Carefully he laid the body over the horse's whither, climbed up behind it, and started back to the castle.  
  
When he got back into the city he could see Royal Soldiers riding threw the streets looking for him. Hilde was the first to spot him and rode over. "We're suppose to find you and escort you back," she explained, eyeing the body in front of Duo with unmentioned curiosity and suspicion. "Duo, I know you wouldn't ever kill somebody if you really didn't need to. But, what are you doing with a woman's body? Not to mention that your covered in blood."  
  
Duo looked down at the red-head laying over his horse and sighed. "I rather not talk about it Hilde. Besides, I don't know what I would say even if I did."  
  
Nodding, Hilde moved her horse beside his and they headed towards the castle. The first soldier that joined them rode up ahead to announce Duo's being found and the others formed a block around the teen, as though thinking he would dart at the first chance possible. It only took a few minutes to get in the castle gates. Once Duo had slid from the horse's back the other soldiers did so as well.  
  
"Come on Duo. Prince Heero wants you brought to him in his office," Hilde informed, grabbing his forearm firmly and tugging on it. "He's going to get angry if we make him wait any more than necessary."  
  
"But what about the woman?" The braided boy wondered, staring at the gray mare as two soldiers carried the body off of the mount's back. "What's going to happen to her?"  
  
Hilde didn't answer, only pulled his arm sharply, causing the braided boy to stumble into a walk. "You can ask the Prince when you talk to him. I think that she'll most likely be dispersed of," the girl state matter-of-factly. "Unless her family is found or something else happens. That would most likely happen only if somebody files a missing person. We don't deal with those things though." She glanced at the other teen and released his arm. "Why do you even care Duo? She's not somebody that you knew. Is she?"  
  
Duo shook his head in the negative. "No. I just found her. But...I think she deserves a little bit more than being dropped like nothing," he argued. "I mean. Don't all people deserve a chance for something better. Even in death?"  
  
"I wouldn't worry as much about her as with you. Hopefully you'll be able to make up an excuse for your runaway and not have it be automatically labeled as a try at escape." She bit his lower lip nervously as they walked through the castle, heading towards Heero's office Duo had just been in that morning. "I still can't believe that war is going to start soon. How long do you think we have? A few days, right? At least? Maybe even a week. It's not that I have any doubts about defending the kingdom. It just doesn't seem like reality. Everything's being thrown upside down."  
  
A sigh escaped Duo's lips and he nodded. "I know what you mean. Nothing is happening the same way anymore. Everybody is working toward one main goal. The war."  
  
The two stopped in front of a large oak door and Hilde knocked three times then opened the door and allowed Duo to step in before her. "Here he is your Highness," she stated, bowing her head and backing out of the room, closing the door tightly behind her.  
  
Duo stood right where Hilde had left him in front of the door, hands at his side with his fingers tapping against his legs. Heero sat directly across from him behind his large desk, papers still strewn everywhere. His arms were folded in front of him and his eyes searched the smaller boy's body, taking note of the blood and the straggly braid. The silence continued and Duo couldn't help but fidget under the prince's stone blue eyes. After a few minutes, Heero finally stood and approached the violet-eyed teen.  
  
"What happened to you? You're covered in blood," he stated, raising his hand and gently pulling the mess of long hair away from the other's face. "Let's go to the baths."  
  
Duo shook his head. "No. We don't have time. I left, because I heard something. It was a woman and, she was riding toward the castle." He looked up at Heero biting the inside of his cheeks before continuing. "Relena's moving quickly and burning everything that she gets close to. We only have three days at the most."  
  
The prince quickly became serious, his face returning to its usual, complete emotionless state. "Are you positive that she was telling the truth?" He asked, hand still resting on Duo's shoulder.  
  
"Yes. I think that she was wounded by them, what caused her death. Besides," he paused again, still nervous about Heero, still wondering how much trouble he was really in, wondering what wasn't showing as the prince focussed on the immediate threat. "I've been smelling smoke in the air. I didn't think that anything was really burning. For all I could have know it was from the city," he explained quickly, preparing himself for an outburst that never came. When he looked back up at Heero he was inspecting the shorter boy's face.  
  
"I'm not going to get angry with you Duo," Heero stated softly, rubbing his thumb along the braided teen's cheek. "I'll tell Trieze to start preparing the troops for battle. It's too late in the day to head out now. Meet me in the bathing room. Okay?"  
  
Nodding, Duo forced himself to relax his jumping nerves. He had known that Heero wouldn't really be mad at him. Maybe a little steamy for having gone alone at such a dangerous time, but not angry enough to actually do anything hazardous. So why had he still been nervous? It was probably because he had grown up with violence. Old habits die hard. Wasn't that what people said? "How long will you take?"   
  
Heero patted his head gently. "Only a few minutes." Together they exited out into the hall and then, as they were about to part ways, Heero grabbed Duo's arm un-expectantly and pulled the teen along with him. "I changed my mind. I want you to come with me," he said, voice low as he ducked in and stole a kiss from the unsuspecting boy. 


	25. END

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King.  
  
  
  
E.N.D.  
  
  
Duo obediently walked through the castle halls besides Heero. They were heading toward the training grounds to find Treize. The man had been spending every day since sun up to fight fall with his men, preparing for war. Duo wasn't surprised, with how quickly everything had been happening he wouldn't have given it a second thought if Treize had his soldiers training in the middle of the night. But the man was too good a war leader to think that his men didn't need sleep.   
  
Everything had changed so instantaneously. It was one thing to think that you were going to war and have a week to prepare yourself, and even that wasn't a long time to prepare. But to suddenly find out that you were going to leave the very next day and most likely engage in battle in two or three days, at the most, was a completely different thing. If he hadn't been with Heero to be the one to tell the man of the unexpected change he would have been wondering why the castle didn't look like an ant hill that was being drowned.   
  
A low rumble caught Duo's ear and he looked up at Heero who was frowning down at him. "What?" He asked. The last thing that he needed was for Heero to think that he wasn't fit to fight and not let him go. And in that case Duo would most likely kill himself before he was left behind. Maybe the mere threat would be enough to keep him with Heero.  
  
Heero's cobalt blue eyes narrowed in concern. "You don't look well Duo. Are you okay?" He wondered. They had just exited the castle and were in clear sight of the training grounds. Duo would bet anything that if they had still been in the hall that Heero would have reached up to touch his face.   
  
Producing a reassuring smile was delightfully easily as the braided boy looked up at the prince. "As good as anything could be in the midst of war. I was just thinking..." His voice drifted off for a moment and then he quickly continued, knowing that Heero would not fall for, or accept the smile and first statement by itself. "I mean, its not every day that you go into war. Even if you try to prevent it every minute of your life. Preventing, and knowing that there is a large possibility that it will happen, and knowing what it would mean if you went to war...none of it is the same as having it happen right before your eyes. To be witness to the start of it. And all you can do in that case is hope that you're also there to see the end of it. To see that the killing stops and blood ceases to flow and drown the world. Its all depressing and you wish that it would never happen and had never started, but you don't have any choice, you have to fight or die. And in that case you might just die to end it, but that won't be the end of it." He heaved a dejected sigh and his shoulders slumped.   
  
Heero raised an eyebrow in skepticism at the smaller boy. "How would you know that Duo?"  
  
Duo's lips purse and his eyes narrowed in a teasing scorn, though his eyes still showed what he was thinking about. "Are you forgetting my history? Living on the streets is not much different than the bloodshed of war and the blood sucking leaches that people have to deal with in royalty...though our enemies actually suck your blood."  
  
Knowing the braided boy's joke, Heero's eyes glistened in silent humor that was not enjoyed from either persons. In less than a second, the prince's blue eyes narrowed, becoming deadly accurate as he reached toward Duo who was paralyzed in shock and confusion from the change, and swept the smaller boy out of the way of a servant carrying a pile of leather clothes for the soldiers that needed mending. Once the girl passed, with numerous apologies to both people whom she could not see, Heero looked down at the teen in his arms.  
  
"I'm surprised that you didn't have the mind to let me run into her," Duo stated light heartedly, the problems of the war seeming to slip from his mind when he was being touched by the other man.   
  
"And have you bumbling with her for hours? Picking it all up and eventually mending it too? Let me repeat for hopefully, the last time. You need to bathe," the prince informed, surprising the braided boy with an unexpected and rare joke.  
  
A sly grin creeped across Duo's face when he responded. "I assume that you'd rather stay like this for a couple more hours?"  
  
"Or some other position."  
  
Duo gasped mockingly and dramatically threw his arms around Heero's neck. "I do declare Prince Heero Yuy, you, are speaking with a sense of humor. And during war, or all times!"  
  
Heero snorted. "I was going for kinki. But if humor is all I get I guess its enough." He flashed a small grin. "But we have to find Treize and tell him about what's happening. If I know him he'll blow up and the next thing that I know we'll all be leaving the castle to travel until the last tendrils of sunlight today."  
  
A strangled groan raised up from Duo who went completely limp in the Prince's arms. "Can't Treize wait? I need to bathe. You said so yourself." It was a ludicrous statement and question, but he made it anyway. If he could lighten Heero's heart for a little while and get the other man's mind off the war then it would be worth it.  
  
"I meant after we take care of actual business. We're in the middle of a war Duo, though I doubt that you forgot. I do have to tell Treize to get ready to move as soon as possible and then we can go bathe. Most likely we'll be leaving in a few hours if Treize does have his way." He paused and arched an eyebrow. "Or, you could go to the baths by yourself?"  
  
"No, I can't. That's what I was going to do before you grabbed me. Remember that part? You, grabbing, me? Not the other way around. Though, if it had been then we'd be in a different situation right now, one that both of us would be enjoying much more than this trop to the training grounds." Duo allowed himself to relax and continue muttering to fill up what would have been blank silence that followed his statement. He evolved a conversation around something that was strong ropes and silk blinds folds and he was sure that Heero could hear it as clear as though he were speaking in the man's ear. Sure enough he was soon set down gently.   
  
"Stay," Heero ordered huskily. No matter how hard he had tried not to listen to Duo rambling about the sequence of event of what would have followed, had the braided boy grabbed him, he had been unbearably successful.  
  
Duo grinned chastely at the taller man and nodded innocently, knowing very well what he had started and planning on finishing it to the very end. Or, most likely, Heero would end up finishing it, but it was all one in the same. As told, Duo waited silently on the grass as he watched Heero walk the rest of the way into the training grounds, find Treize and start a quick conversation with the other man.   
  
By the time that Heero returned nearly an hours later he all but hauled Duo up to his feet and dragged him back to the castle, hurriedly bursting through the door, tossing the boy over his shoulder, and heading toward the baths. The details were lost in Duo's mind but by the time that they had entered the white tiled room his legs tightly encircled the taller man's waist and he was wearing nothing but his wings. Heero's shirt was lost in one of the halls somewhere.  
  
The Prince turned toward on of the tiled walls in the room and pressed Duo's back against it, the cold sending chills through the braided boy's body. The ambivalence of hot and cold just increasing Duo's already flared senses.  
  
The smaller boy moaned, his head tilting back until it rested on the wall as Heero's lips reined soft kissed down his neck until they came to the spot where twin holes pierced Duo's skin. He growled possessively as his tongue flickered out and ran over the wounds, sending more chills through Duo's body.  
  
"I want to be in you," Heero groaned, his voice throaty with lust.  
  
A strangled moan escaped Duo's lips, his arms tightening around his lover, fingers digging into the other's back. "Now Heero," he gasped, directly followed by a moan. "Oh God. Please."  
  
One hand left Duo and fumbled blindly to the side. Bottles clattered to the ground loudly for a few moments until the Prince found what he had been looking for. Quickly he covered his fingers with slick lotion and ran a finger along the braided boy's entrance. Before he did anything though he pulled back slightly, catching Duo's glazes eyes with his own. "May I?" He asked, slightly out of breath, but the question was asked in complete somberness.  
  
Duo blinked, eyes clearing as he looked at the other man. If he said no right then, no matter how lust driven Heero was at the moment, he knew that the Prince would pull away. The teen's body pulsed with need for the man who was holding him up, but Duo forced himself to bring his emotions under control for a moment, no matter how loose the control was, and just stared into Heero's cobalt blue eyes. A pleasurable sigh escaped his lips and he nodded. "Of course. Always," he breathed.  
  
The Prince answered by coming forth and kissing Duo as his first digit pressed into the smaller boy's body. For a minute Duo squirmed as he forced his body to relax and got use to the intrusion, the kiss was enough of a distraction enough and it didn't take much to relax enough for Heero's satisfaction.   
  
Soon another finger was added to the first and started a scissors motion to ready him. Readily after that, a third was added. The fingers stayed inside of Duo, searching for something; and suddenly a lightning rod of pleasure sliced through Duo's spine, causing him to cry out and squirm in Heero's arms, cold tiles sliding behind his back. Smirking, the Prince brushed against it once more and then withdrew his fingers completely.   
  
Duo whimpered at the loss and then felt the tip of Heero's cock at his entrance. Slowly the cobalt-eyed teen started to enter him and sucked on Duo's neck. The braided boy tensed at the intrusion instinctively and when he did Heero's fangs extracted and slid through the holes in his neck and white angel wings sprouted from the taller man's back, shining feathers floating around the couple. Duo gasped in shock and pleasure, his back arching and his fingers digging even further into Heero's back. The pain of Heero's member entering him was completely lost in the pleasure that flooded through the boy's body.  
  
Duo was too overtaken with sensuality that he almost didn't notice when Heero's fangs withdrew from his throat and the Prince simply sucked his neck, waiting for the other to move. When Duo moved slightly Heero pulled out till only the tip of his cock was into the boy's ass hole. Then he stopped. "What do you want me to do Duo?" Heero asked, looking down at the helpless and writhing boy.   
  
A strangled cry escaped from the braided boy's throat and he stared up at Heero.  
  
"What? I didn't hear you."  
  
"God Heero, please."  
  
"Please? I don't know what you want me to do though." Heero smirked.  
  
Duo's violet eyes rolled as he wriggled, trying to cause some sort of friction, but Heero had placed his hands on his hips, forcing Duo to lay still. "Please."  
  
"What do you want me to do?"  
  
"Fuck me already Heero!" Duo cried out.  
  
With that, Heero slammed into the braided boy's body. The pace was fast a vigorous. Heero would pull almost all of the way out of Duo's body and then relentlessly slam back into the teen, ruthlessly hitting Duo's pleasure spot each time.  
  
It wasn't long until Duo's body tensed and Heero's hand encircled his cock once more, pumping his to the same rhythm as his thrusts. "Heero!" Duo shouted as he came spilling himself over the other boy's hand and both of their abdomens. His muscles clamped around Heero's member and he slammed himself into Duo's body one more time before he let himself come, his seed filling Duo. He fell forward, catching himself against the wall with one arm, and holding Duo up against him with the other, their bodies glistened with sweat and their breathes came in ragged gasps.  
  
"Heero..." Duo sighed, head falling forward to rest on the other's shoulder. "Oh God I love you." He breathed in deeply, just taking in the other's scent. Heero's white wings hung limply, feathers sticking out in different directions, while other feathers littered the floor around them.   
  
"I love you too Duo," Heero whispered, sucking on the braided boy's ear lobe gently. "More than anything else. I would die for you Duo."  
  
Duo gasped as cold lightning ran through his body, causing his to shiver violently. "Oh God. Heero, please don't say that." His voice was a barely audible whimper. "Please. No. I wouldn't be able to keep on living if you did something like that." Fear was evident in the smaller boy's voice. Fear because he knew that Heero was saying the truth, and fear because he knew he was saying the truth as well.  
  
"I won't let anything happen to you Duo. Never." Heero's voice was flat and determined, and his arms around the braided boy tightened. "I swear it."  
  
The braided boy could only sigh brokenly. He knew the truth when he heard it, it was as if he convince the Prince to think otherwise either. He knew that what Heero had said also applied to himself. He would do anything to keep Heero safe. He couldn't imagine letting Heero die before he did, he would lay down his own life before that happened.  
  
"Now a bath, " Heero breathed. "And then we need to pack. We're leaving in an hour or two, so we'll have nearly five hours to travel before its too dark."  
  
Duo could only nod into the other man's neck. "Okay. Okay. It was really too good of a thought to let myself have that we could leave tomorrow." He heaved another sigh and closed his eyes. "A bath sounds good though. I don't like smelling like blood and sweat."  
  
"Of course. Who would?" The Prince wondered as he pushed himself away from the wall, white wings still hanging frazzled behind him as he carried the smaller boy to the nearest bath and stepped in slowly. His wings didn't dissipate as he entered the water and shimmering feathers loosened themselves and started to float aimlessly. When Duo made no move to back away and start cleaning himself once Heero had sat down the Prince shook his head softly. It would be just like Duo to fall asleep. "Duo, are you awake?" He wondered gently into the other's ear.   
  
The braided boy groaned. "Of course I'm awake," he muttered. "I just don't want to leave. I have a good spot picked out here."  
  
Heero snorted. "How do you think you're going to clean yourself off then? Hn?" Duo muttered some unintelligible words but only shifted positions and for the most part didn't move. "Come on Duo, we can't take forever or else we'll be going off with only the clothes on our backs." The statement had no sooner left Heero's lips than he mentally slapped himself.   
  
"We don't have any clothes on our backs," Duo contributed, fingers running over Heero's skin to prove his point, though it hardly needed proving. "Non at all." He looked up and saw a nervous servant all but running away with the last of Heero's clothes that had actually been shed in the baths. "And we don't even have the clothes that we use to be wearing anymore." He declared around Heero's earlobe that he was nibbling on. "So I guess that we have a little more time since we have to go back to your room anyway."  
  
Heero's deep, steady intake of breath drew a sigh from the braided boy. "Oh fine," he groaned, pushing away from the taller man and then dunking himself under the warm water. When he popped back up Heero was holding out a bar of soap and he grudgingly took it. Obviously Heero had his mind set on have a quick bath and getting ready as soon as possible. Be it far from Duo to change the man's mind when it was made up, and there was only one way to make him think different. Though Duo doubted that Heero would let himself be enticed once again so soon.  
  
Quickly the teen washed himself as well as his hair and allowed himself to be pulled easily from the water and dried himself with the large towel that was handed to him. By that time a new set of clothes had been set out for the both of them and they hurriedly dawned their clothes. Duo was just tying the silk string of his pants tight when he noticed Heero's eyes inspecting him, slightly narrow with disapproval. "What's the matter?" He asked, voice soft with caution. If Heero got mad at him now then there would be no way that the Prince would let him go.  
  
"You can't wear those clothes," Heero stated bluntly and Duo nearly fainted with relief. "But it's too late to have something made. You won't fit in my clothes."  
  
Duo shrugged casually. "I can get something from the city. Or, you can get something from the city for me, should I say?" He suggested, eyes wide in hope that the other would accept the idea. Heero was a logical person, but sometimes his logic didn't seem to fit that of the world around him.  
  
The Prince paused for a moment and finally nodded. Okay, that works. Leather though, something light enough for you to fight in, but tough enough so that you won't bleed to death from minor scratches."  
  
"I do need clothes before we leave though," Duo interjected. He didn't like the thought of giving Heero any reason that he should withdrawn his agreement to let him go, but it was the simple truth. He needed something reasonable to wear out of the palace. It would hardly be accepted for him to ride out beside Heero into war in the slave clothes that he had been wearing ever since he had entered the castle.   
  
Heero nodded in agreement. "I'll send someone to get you your things when I get someone to pack." Both of them were fully dressed and the taller man was guiding Duo along with him out of the baths. "But now I need to go meet back up with Treize. He'll want to talk again before I leave and I want to spend as little extra time talking about what we're going to do before we actually leave. Why don't you go find Wufei and help him get organized for heading out. If I know him then he hasn't even thought of packing clothes. For all he thinks he'll wear the same thing over again. Besides, he'll need help on choosing what to bring."  
  
The braided boy arched an eyebrow in surprise. "You think that I can help Wufei with packing for war somehow?" He wondered. "Is this because of what I am, because I'm friends with him, or more likely, you want to talk to Treize alone?"  
  
A small shrug was the first initial response before the Prince spoke. "All three," he stated, inspecting Duo carefully to see if he had said the right thing or would have to start apologizing for something that he didn't understand and he didn't know that he had done wrong in the first place.  
  
Duo couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"Go on. I think he's in the library," Heero muttered, pushing Duo down the hall to the left, toward the center of the castle as he started to make his way to the right. "If something goes wrong then you can come find me, but otherwise I'll find you when it's time to leave." He paused for a moment and then continued. "You might want to have Wufei tell you a little about how things will be working," he suggested and shrugged once again. "If you want to. But it'd probably be best if you were aware of everything."  
  
The violet-eyed teen nodded in agreement. "Sure thing." He threw a grin at the other man. "I'll make sure that Wufei has everything he needs. After he tells me what it is that he's packing away." He chuckled as Heero rolled his eyes.   
  
"I'll see you later Duo."  
  
Duo nodded. "Of course. You always do," he said, smiling widely and wandering down the hall in search of the library. Or, more of, in way to the library. He knew where it was so well that he could have been placed somewhere in the palace that he had never been in before and been able to make his way to the library.  
  
It didn't take him long to get to the large double doors that lead into the room and silently slip inside. The array of tall pine shelves and hundreds of books, scrolls, and manuscripts that they held no long made Duo pause in awe, he had been in the room enough times to almost not notice completely. Besides, he was on a mission and he couldn't let himself get distracted that easily.   
  
Hurriedly the braided teen started to make his way deeper into the Library, peeking around every self and every corner. He did that for about five minutes before he sighed and rolled his eyes. This was no way to go about finding Wufei. Duo stopped and looked around, then took a deep breath. "Wufei!" The cry rang off every wall and Duo looked around himself impressed by how loud the room made him sound, but nothing moved. There was no sign of Wufei or that the other teen had even heard him. Just as the boy taking another breath the black-haired boy shot around a shelf.  
  
"What's the matter? Is something wrong with Heero? Did Dorothy show up again? Why wasn't I just called by a flame? What's going on?" His black eyes were dating in every direction as though he expected to be attacked at that very moment.  
  
Duo gapped for a moment and then shook his head. "No. Everything is relatively fine. But we're leaving with the army in a couple hours so that we can meet Relena's army hopefully a safe distance from the City. Heero went off to talk to Treize for a little while longer to get everything ready and all that and so he told me to find you and help you get your things ready."  
  
Wufei raised an eyebrow. "How can you help me?"  
  
"I don't know. That was my exact question, but Heero seemed to think that I would be useful for something." He paused, trying to remember something that he felt that he was forgetting. "Oh yeah. He wanted you to talk to me about war and everything. I'm not sure how much you can tell me, or if you can tell me anything for that matter, but that's what he suggested." Duo shrugged his shoulders. "So, is there anything I can do?"  
  
The sorcerer shrugged, almost mirroring Duo's own movement. "No. I would usually take some books that might help, but unfortunately I do not think that I will be able to find us anything that will help in them and I do not think that I'm going to have any time to be looking anything up in them. If I'm lucky then they wouldn't get by my own magical weapons, but I do not believe that there is much that I will be able to do for the entire army together." He sighed dejectedly. "There is only so much a sorcerer can do."  
  
Duo nodded in agreement. "I didn't think about it, but it makes sense. I could help you pack clothes."  
  
"Okay..." Wufei drifted, then turned narrowed eyes to Duo. "How long do you think we have. Really. Not paying attention to what you have heard. I have more faith in what you think than any others for some reason."  
  
"I think...know, that we have no more than three days. Maybe less than that, but I'm going with three."  
  
Wufei nodded. "Okay then. Let's go up to my room."  
  
It was an hour and a half later when Heero came into Wufei's room to fetch the two of them. They had long since finished what they could, Wufei saying that he wouldn't need many clothes if it was only three days and he doubted he would be in much mind of worrying about what he was wearing and how many days old it was with everything else that would be on his mind.  
  
Heero didn't tell them much as he lead them both through the castle and out to the front were hundreds of men were mounted and a servant waited close by, holding the reins of three unsaddled animals. It wasn't much of a surprise to see so many men, though Duo had definitely not ever seen them all training. There were probably many other things for soldiers to be doing, or maybe just other training grounds that he had never seen. The one thing that they had been able to get out of the Prince was that they would be traveling until there was not enough light to do so. Obviously Treize had done some very good convincing or logical speaking.  
  
The three mounted and started out of the front gates of the castle grounds. Treize, Zechs, and even Noin caught up to them before they exited into the streets. Behind them the soldiers followed.  
  
- - - - - -   
  
After breakfast, camp was broken surprisingly quickly for the number of men that were traveling. Duo wondered how well the men were trained in putting their things away and then dismissed the sore chance at personal humor. Nothing could truly be funny with all the thoughts that were running through his head and every other person's head around them.  
  
They traveled in a long line of men. Like the day before there were four soldiers abreast, trailing for as far as the eye could see until they disappeared around a far curve in the road. Three Lords had met up with them by the evening of the first day and had added their own soldiers to the already large number, nearly tripling the size of the army. Two more Lords were expected to arrive today. Maybe two more after that would catch up once the battle had started.   
  
From his place beside Wufei and behind Heero, Treize, Zechs, and the three joined Lords Duo could smell smoke in the air, growing continuously heavier as they road. He knew that they were going to meet up with Relena's army by that evening or the very beginning of the next day. The thought of the battle so close made Duo's gut wrench. He wasn't afraid of his own death, for Heaven's sake, he was death. It was something else that made him so nervous, the thought of Heero dying, and every time it came to mind his stomach lurched and the world span and tilted and Duo was afraid that the reaction to the thought was not simply worry, that there was something else behind it.   
  
The braided boy shook his head softly, trying to clear the thoughts from his mind, his hands tightening their grip on the scythe that lay across his legs. It wasn't possible for Heero to die. The prophecies never mentioned the Master dying, it was always Beelzebub that was destroyed, his curse for having ruined Earth as he had. Just another in the long list of things he had to suffer through, things that had gone wrong and what would continue to go wrong until he died. It almost made him look forward to the end, and that was the most unreasonable thought of all. There was no end for him. He would be reborn in another age and another time and go through the same general motions. Create strife, war, be bonded, die. It was predestined for the rest of eternity. Even after time itself was destroyed, his soul would continue to go through the motions of a never ending punishment.  
  
Wufei rode closer to him, shook his shoulder lightly causing Duo to come out of his haze and look at the black-haired boy. "What's up Wu?" He asked, voice flat and deflated or any energy. It was hard to muster up excitement for an event such as war.   
  
The other teen's eyes were narrowed in apparent concern. "Are you okay, you look troubled."  
  
Duo tossed a grin, though even he knew it was obviously hollow and had no reality behind it. "Well, if you can tell me why I don't have any reason to worry about what we're going into then I'm sure that I'd be able to relax a little Wu. I just don't seem to be able to look at this as though everything's going to turn out all fine and dandy. I actually find it a little bit depressing."  
  
Wufei nodded in understanding. "I guess that you're right. We all look worried and we all have a right to be." He sighed softly and his shoulders sagged. "Whenever I think of the battle and the possibilities it always feels so hopeless. I get the feeling that nothing is going to turn out the way that we expected it to turn out. That it will end up being worse than we could possibly imagine. And the worst that I can imagine is losing to Relena. It wouldn't matter who was alive after the battle if that happened. There would be no way for Quatre to without against her if we fell." His eyes flickered to Duo and he shrugged. "Not that he can't give a good fight when he digs his heals in. But without anybody on his side, and if Relena uses our armies, there's no possible chance. Everything would fall to her..." His sentence lingered at the end, not quite finished, everything he thought not quite said.   
  
"Everything including me and Heero," Duo breathed airily. "If she was able to get control of Heero, to control what I did, then she probably wouldn't even let any race but the Humans and the Hunters live. Or she would enslave you all and breed them all out slowly." His own shoulders sagged at the thoughts that ran through his head. Worse than Heero dying.   
  
A groan escaped his lips as his intestines crushed together and his head rung as though hit with a sledge hammer. Nothing could be worse than Heero's death. And that's what frightened him. He felt the same way as Wufei, that the looses would be worse than imagined and if his worse thought was that Heero died then he couldn't imagine what would bring the devastation beyond that.  
  
"Duo?"  
  
Duo waved his hand at the sorcerer. "I'm fine. It's just the thought of what could be worse. I get the same feeling too, and it makes me even more nervous now. Now that I know that I'm not the only one. That it's isn't my head making everything up to prepare me. I'm starting to believe what I'm feeling and that's making me more frightened than anything I have ever experienced before. Even more than finding out that Heero was my Master the first time that he touched me."  
  
The sorcerer nodded again. "I understand completely Duo. I understand completely." His voice was dejected. He was telling the truth and liked it no more than Duo did.  
  
The day seemed to drag on, the pounding of soldier's feet and horse's hooves drowning out any other noises that may have reached the members of the traveling army. But even then, when there was nothing to do but ride and make short comments to Wufei, Duo kept his eyes open and his mind completely alert. He wouldn't let himself doze of or become bored.   
  
After the assassination attempt the night before Duo barely let himself look at the people around him, and even when he and Wufei did talk his eyes were constantly scanning their surroundings, preparing himself for an attack that would somehow slip past his senses and become a real problem before he could warn everybody. He knew that Heero's soldiers were well trained, but he still couldn't allow himself to completely trust the scouts. If the guards had been as effect as Duo had thought they would be then he wouldn't have found himself cutting a man's head from his shoulders just outside of Heero's tent while the Prince lunged through a second man. Both had been hunters of course, but that had made no difference to Duo.  
  
Soon enough though, the sun was setting and the generals were shouting at their men to start setting up camp for the night, calling off who would take which shifts for guarding and that they "better as Hell stay awake and alert tonight if they didn't all want their throats to be slit." The dull ache between Duo's shoulder blades had intensified but he shrugged it off easily as he slid from his mount's back. It was just the stress. He couldn't even remember most of the day, except for feeling eyes on him every single step that he took.   
  
He knew that he had had more than a few discussions with Wufei but didn't remember much of what they had been about other than he felt even more exhausted than he had the day before and his palms seared as though he had stuck them in a fire, though they looked normal and had no physical signs of having been burnt. Maybe it had been another magic trick that they sorcerer was trying to teach him. The day before Wufei had given him lessons almost non-stop and only shut up when Duo nearly took his head off.  
  
The teen sighed heavily and willingly let a soldier take the reins of his horse for him and guide the animal away. All he wanted to do was find Heero, make sure that he was with people who could actually protect him, and then go to bed. He would talk to Wufei tomorrow about what he had learned that afternoon. That in itself would earn an hour long lecture about irresponsibility and what not and then the same lesson taught all over again, though Duo would end up remembering it after the first few words.   
  
A hand clapped on Duo's shoulder and the teen nearly jumped a foot as he spun around and found himself facing Heero. As soon as he recognized the man he relaxed, scythe dematerializing to nothing, a small smile playing over his lips nervously. The Prince's blue eyes were flat and calculating, a look that, even when Duo was sure that he hadn't done anything wrong, made him second guess and wonder if he had been framed for anything.  
  
"You look tired," Heero stated blankly and Duo relaxed all over again. That was the look in the man's eyes, concern. He should have been use to seeing it by then on the taller man's features but Heero was just not the person to show sympathy for others and so it was hard keeping images of what Heero was like when he was being sympathetic. "The tent is up, why don't you go to sleep. I'm going to go talk with the other Lords for awhile and I'll be in in a few hours."  
  
Duo nibbled his lower lip. "Are you sure?" He wondered, looking up at the Prince through his eyelashes.  
  
Heero smiled softly and reassuringly. "You don't have to worry so much Duo. Treize, Zechs, and Wufei will be there. And if they aren't then they'll be close by. Besides, Wufei said that you should get to sleep early today." He chuckled. "He had been expecting to teach you something more advanced today, but I believe that he was just as surprised as the rest of use when a fireball exploded in the road." Heero shook his head, smiling. "He said that you're moving faster than you should be and you'll be tired and hungry. Go to the tent and I'll send somebody in to drop off some of what ends up being dinner."  
  
"Okay," the braided boy yawned. "As long as you're sure that you're going to be okay."  
  
"Duo, I can protect myself. I've killed my fair share of people as well. Even if Treize and Zechs were sticking to me like they were actually attached to me I would be perfectly fine." At Duo's hesitation he rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised that you didn't fall asleep in your saddle. Now go to bed."  
  
Duo nodded and turned away, half reluctant half eager. He actually had dozed off in his saddle for a few minutes and then gave himself a mental bashing once he realized what he had done. Luckily nobody else seemed to have noticed.  
  
Bending down Duo slid into Heero's tent and allowed himself to collapse on the blankets piled on the right hand side. To hell with actually preparing a bed, a pile of laundry would have done perfectly fine at the moment. Taking a deep breath the teen closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take him.  
  
- - - - - -   
  
They met Relena's army in the morning. The sun had just completely revealed itself over the horizon when they broke through the trees and spotted the Human and Hunter army not far off. Purple and crimson banners waving in the breeze that blew over the flat land. A shiver ran up Duo's spine at the sight of them but he refused to allow his nervousness to show through. This was not a time for him to be doubting himself or the people around him. This was the time that he would be able to inflict revenge on the woman freely, not having to hide what he wanted or what he was doing to the people around him. The thought made him relax slightly, hands cool and dry on the hilt of his scythe.   
  
The air nearly crackled with the tension that held between the two armies as they stared at each other, sizing each other up for the battle, trying to find weaknesses but only being able to see the hundreds upon thousands of men in front of them.  
  
They seemed to wait there for hours, though it was doubtfully a full minute that they faced off until a cavalry of some fifty Hunters rode forward to the head of Relena's lines, each with bows knocked and ready. They lifted their arms, aiming for the first of Heero's lines that they, with no doubt, could not reach, when a blue and silver streak shot through the space between them, not arching, but perfectly flat, and thudded into the chest of the central Hunter. The woman's bow dropped to the ground from her limp fingers and every eye seemed to be on her as she slid from her saddle and fell. Her body hit the ground and the tension broke. Men screamed and both armies rushed forward, swords raised, ready for the kill.  
  
It wasn't really defined when Quatre and his army joined the battle because they brought their own army of Hunters and Humans along with them. When Duo spotted them for the first time he wondered how they had gotten there so quickly, what seemed only hours into the slaughtering. Then he realized that Wufei must have kept in touch with the blond about everything that was going on. It would only make sense that the sorcerer do something like that.  
  
Having started somewhere in the back, Duo had moved forward, though there was no true definition of front, back, left and right any more. It all just seemed to be the same blood and bodies everywhere, not distinction between one side and another, uniforms often not being able to be identified on the corpses that lay crushed on the ground beneath still fighting men.   
  
The only proportions were that Relena was on one side and he was on the other. He had sensed Dorothy's twisted presence when the battle began, but it had disappeared soon after. Most likely she had covered it up in order to sneak up on him. Unfortunately it was hard keeping his eyes behind him while soldiers were hacking at him from the front.  
  
The teen swung his scythe for the thousandth time, slicing a man's head from his shoulders. Blood sprayed from the gushing wound, drenching Duo even further, as the body collapsed to the ground, nearly falling on top of the braided boy. When he looked up again he spotted a familiar blond figure off the edges of battle, just out of the fighting, staring at him. Waiting.   
  
Duo growled and turned angrily to swing another fatal blow at a man who had tried to stab him in the back. When he turned back around Dorothy stood in front of him, bring down her first blow. The violet-eyed teen brought the staff of his scythe up and blocked it while he pivoted out of the way. "Damn bitch," he muttered. "I'm going to kill you this time!"  
  
Chuckling the girl swung, again meeting Duo's blade. "Not if I kill you first demon," he taunted, smiling sweetly just before they broke away.  
  
There was a crunch behind Duo and the boy turned, cutting into another rear attacker. His back was turned to Dorothy for only an instant but he knew it would be a second too long. By the time he turned and faced her once again her sword was nearly on him. Suddenly he was shoved aside. His foot caught on a dead soldier's arm and he fell to the ground, looking up just in time to see Heero parry the nearly fatal blow.  
  
Dorothy launched herself away from the prince and grinned. "I see that I have finally found him Duo," she laughed. As she threw her hand out toward Heero, Duo's blood ran cold.  
  
Heero's face froze in a somber look of shock, his jaw slackened an his blue eyes narrowed in disbelief as he touch his chest and raised his hand. His fingers were covered in sticky, crimson blood. Slowly the prince looked down to see the hilt of the dagger that was buried in his chest. As he fell to his knees the knife dematerialized, leaving the wound open, pumping blood. 'So that's how it got past me.'  
  
The man's dimming cobalt eyes slid to Duo. The braided boy was still on knees on the ground where Heero had shoved him, looking on in shock, eyes brimming with tears. Heero's lips twitched in one last soft, loving smile as his body collapsed limply to the ground, dark crimson blood pooling out from his wounded chest, quickly surrounding his still form.  
  
Duo stared at Heero's unmoving body, not believing what he was seeing. Heero had not just died. He couldn't have. Heero couldn't die...could he? It was an impossible thought. It wasn't suppose to happen, Duo was suppose to die for Heero, not the other way around. So Heero couldn't be dead. Not like that. Not that easily. Not by Dorothy's trickery and poor Hunter's magic.  
  
But...maybe that was why his own chest felt a ripping pain in it. Like his heart was slowly being torn from his chest. He could feel the part of him that was connected to Heero being torn away from him. And with it's disappearance, a cold, bitter, murderous anger grew in it's place.  
  
Duo's violet eyes started to become dark as his face hardened, jaw tightening. The teen's eyes slowly tore away from Heero's body and landed on Dorothy. The woman who stood in the exact same place, a grin of triumph on her face, her eyes shimmering with power and lust for the kill.   
  
A deep growl started in Duo's throat as he glared at the woman who stood not twenty feet away from him. She had been the one to start and destroy everything from the very beginning. She had taken Heero's life. She had taken Heero away from him. She, had killed Heero.  
  
Sensing something dangerous, Dorothy shifted her position and looked at the braided teen who was pouring forth energy and power. She didn't even had a chance to blink, much less raise her sword, before he jumped up and materialized his scythe. In another instant he had rushed forward, swinging his scythe in a graceful, raging arch. He stopped with the tip of his scythe barely above the ground, Dorothy still stood before him, oddly still. Then her body started to fall to the ground unevenly, her left half thudding down right before her right landed on top of it.  
  
Duo started to move again even before Dorothy's body had hit the ground. Charging his way into the masses of enemy lines. Hacking away at uniformed men, not seeing what uniforms they wore, ignoring the blood that sprayed and drenched his clothes, not caring about anything else but to kill Relena. To get his revenge for her having taken Heero away from him. For having started the war that took Heero's life.  
  
A pile of men jumped the berserked teen, heavily covering his body in a tall pile. As the braided boy was painfully crushed into the ground, a picture of dying Heero flashed through his mind and anger flared through his body once again. The soldiers were suddenly thrown from their places covering Duo's body and the teen stood, scythe held tightly in both hands, large, black bat wings opened to their full expanse.   
  
As the teen continued to slice his way through lines of soldiers he caught the site of Quatre laying on the ground, bleeding severely; Trowa stood close by, trying to fight off their offenders despite his own, nearly fatal wounds. Never he spotted Wufei and Treize as their mounts were overthrown and they were dragged from the saddles they were sitting in, into a pile of men and swords.   
  
The teen's heart ripped and he arched his scythe, sending dozens of men in front of him down. "You fucking bastards!" He shouted as his mind fogged, nothing but the kill comprehendible. "You'll all die! All of you will pay!"   
  
The soldiers around him disappeared and Duo found himself in the middle of a ring. In the distance Duo caught sight of the blond princess dressed in purple and red, watching over the battle with pride. She caught Duo's black eyes and smiled. "I've won you filthy demon. You're Master is dead and I have all the power. You are nothing!" She laughing gleefully and Duo smirked. "You have no power," she stated again, authoritatively, as though ordering it to be true. "None."  
  
"You bitch," the winged teen muttered. "You fucking bitch!" He screamed, carrying out the last note that was filled with rage and agony. Complete and utter agony. The battle seemed to stop as he screamed, men's heads turning toward the source of the sound, trying to figure out what could cause somebody to be in the amount of pain that they heard.   
  
As the note carried, Duo's power swelled and exploded. The men around him fell dead as his power radiated through them in waves. The magic explosion faded with the scream, leaving Duo standing with his scythe glowing black and his clothes dripping crimson blood. He stood for a moment before collapsing to his knees, the pole of his scythe remained solid and fell beside him, rolling away from his limp finger tip.   
  
None of the remaining living soldiers moved toward the fallen demon. The war was over, Relena had last. The Hunters had lost. There was no victory to claim though from the bodies that littered the field, or from the pools of blood that had formed like spring from the ground. Few people were standing, only a few people were alive.   
  
Trowa lay on the ground unmoving, Quatre crouched above him, holding the taller teen's head in his lap, tears streaking down his dirty cheeks. Not too far away, Wufei leaned heavily on his sorcerer's staff as he searched through the bodies for Treize, his eyes were hollow, no tears or emotion showing through them. On another part of the field Zechs and Noin slowly combed through the dead, searching for survivors from any side.   
  
Duo knelt, head bowed, arms limp at his sides, as tears streaked his blood and dirt covered face. His chest felt empty, along with the rest of him. His rage was completely gone, and all that was left was black loneliness.  
  
  
  
.E.N.D. 


	26. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters, or plot, or anything else related to it. The story line/plot/idea that is used in this fictional story is copyright 2002 by Laura King.  
Something To Live For  
  
- Epilogue -  
  
The waves of soldiers crashed upon each other in a flurry of shouts, screams, and the clang of swords meeting swords. Death filled the air by the second as soldiers from both sides, fell, mixing blood seeping into the battle field, turning it to dark mud beneath men's feet. No single side could break through, holding the battle at a middle line, each line searching for an invisible weakness, that once pressed would crumble and allow them to flood into the other side's lines. Yet, in some freakish accident or from a divine intervention that found the whole thing quite amusing, both sides gave way simultaneously. Humans and Vampires roaring through the lines, spreading the battle field beyond the center, pushing the boundaries of death even further out into what was once peacefulness. And now it was not an entire force against another full force, each man now struggled to move forward, or to stay in the same spot as long as they killed, as long as they could defend and survive long enough to make another move.  
  
There was no order to the fighting, it was a mass of confussion. Men fighting men for victory. For peace. For life. There was no idea except the fight. When fire bolts hurtled men aside a boulder running through an ant hill the tension grew. And, through the desprate thoughts of battle, questions ran franticly through soldier's minds. There must be a reason for Sorcerers to have come so far to fight. Who were they supporting? Why did they come? Could the Vampires hold out against three races teamed together? How easily would their victory come if the Sorcerers were there to side with them? What would happen? But even those questions were lost as another man launched forward, another blow was struck.  
  
Then the flags came into sigh and relief washed through men's bodies, invigorating their fighting, bringing them back to life, bring hope with the sight of the Sorcerer's flag flapping bravely next to the Vampires. But the aid brought its own enemy, and as friends grew, so did adversaries. There was no end. Like the ocean, one could keep looking out and see only water in front of them. Except this was not water. It was red stained blood. Bodies of men. Men alive, struggling to stay that way.  
  
Minutes passed like hours, and the only thing that kept the men from believing that night was coming was the sun that still shown brightly, not even at its zenith, seemingly to be only inches from where it had been when the fighting had started.  
  
An invisible force swept forward, causing men to shiver, goose bumps to raise up on their arms, a laps formed in the fighting if only for a moment, but it was a moment when silence rang through soldier's ears as deafening as the loudest scream. And then a blow landed and men took the moment's pause to slay another man, unsuspecting of his death. Through the death and bloodshed. Through the shouts and screams of dying men. Soldiers could see a lone person hacking their way toward the Human Princess, killing any man who came close, in front, to the sides, or from the back. Then a wave of Human men tackled him, nearly a dozen men smashing one to the ground, and yet they were piled there for no more than a few moments before they were flung back, landing on the muddy ground with loud thuds and sickening cracks, none of them raising. A raging boy stood where the men had been, long chestnut hair thick with blood and sweat, fiery black eyes filled with death seeing nothing but the Princess, hands gripped until his knuckles were white on a black-staffed green-bladed scythe. But that was not what suddenly ceased the battle. It was the large bat wings that spread to eight side of the boy, flung tight with anger, hatred and the blood lust that came with revenge.  
  
And for some reason the Human Princess was standing, declaring her victory to the demon far before her, still in the middle of the battle field, when even her own men wished to back away, wished to be far from the creature when his wrath was loosened. But they were far too late. The boy screamed, agony filling the air until it made men drop their weapons with its weight, their shoulders sagging, tears streaming down their dirtied faces from the emotion or from the pain they felt from being crushed to the ground. As the scream drew on, men died, falling backward with no apparent injury, bursting into flames, or bending in odd twisted shapes, bones cracking loudly before they went limp and crumbled to the ground. When silence came, scores of men were gone, or dead, with no explanation except for the scream, which brought eyes back to the demon boy who had collapsed to his knees, shoulders shaking as though he himself were crying.  
  
No one came close, the ring of Human and Vampires bodies spreading nearly eight spans from the boy in all directions being more than enough warning.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Duo's tears stopped eventually and he sat, head bowed, lost in a hollow emptiness, no emotion reaching him. From the corner of his eyes he could see Trowa stirring in Quatre's arms, Wufei was helping Treize sit up, the fiery-haired man had lived after all and had only been dragged to nearly the other side of the field once he had been dismounted. And the Wufei was standing, looking over at Duo, unsure of what he should do, and then, making up his mind, he started walking over, slowly, as if walking up to an injured deer. Duo closed his eyes. He didn't want to see what was around him. He didn't want to see the blood or the bodies or the wounded and dying men, or even the survivors. He didn't want to see Quatre laughing with joy through tears as he hugged Trowa, or Treize sitting on the ground staring after Wufei in an amazed and loving wonderment, or Zechs and Noin helping each other walk along and find anybody who could last through the rest of the day. He had been sure that they were all dead. Not that he had wanted to, he had just been so positive. But he couldn't be sure of anything now. He had been sure that he would die for Heero, that Heero, no matter what, would keep on living. That had been the soul reason for Duo's own life. Live for Heero. And now that was gone. Nothing was left. Even the twinge in his chest was only an aftermath of what had happened. Either of Heero's death or killing so many people. That would be gone soon too.  
  
A hand rested sturdily on Duo's shoulder, fingers gripping softly, reassuringly. Duo couldn't look up. Couldn't see Wufei's shocked and horrified face, framed in the causious worry that any person would have when being so close to someone with as much power as Duo in such a mentally unbalanced state. Wufei kneeled in front of him, he could tell by the way that the pressure changed on his shoulder, by the soft thud he made when his knees hit the ground. Another hand on his other shoulder, and something twinged inside of Duo. How could Wufei be so trusting? After everything that he had just done. His expression didn't change but he did look up. And blinked.  
  
Heero.  
  
Duo's heart clenched as ice blue eyes stared back at him, the familiar face, covered with dirt and blood, dark brown hair plastered down with sweat. A strangled whimper rose from Duo's throat as he collapsed into his lover's arms. God it felt so good to be like that, even if it wasn't real. Even if his mind was playing the cruelest trick in the world on him. And yet, when those strong arms surrounded him, Duo knew it was as real as anything could be. Heero hadn't died. The thought made him start crying again, with the pure beauty of the it. Heero was alive, living, breathing, holding him. And he recognized the feeling in his chest, not aftermaths of anything, but it was Heero, the part that bonded him. He shook with tears, clinging to the other boy, not caring that they sat in muddied blood. Everything would be okay. Heero was alive and that was enough for him.  
- THE END -  
Author's Note: Okay, that's really it people. I was debating whether to put this up or not and I decided that I loved it too much not too. Besides...I think that Megan would have killed me if I didn't complete the story. And I guess that it really wasn't finished. It feels complete now. I can actually feel the weight of it off of my shoulders.  
  
Hey, I'm needing some advice. If I turned this into an actual original story, do you think it would be good. I'm adding on to it and stuff, and I kind of want to try to get it published when I finish my real copy. Would you guys have read this if it was at a book store or something? Do you think the plot (not the other parts mind you) is an original and cool enough idea to get it published, would people read it or is it only good as a fanfiction? Please tell me because I really want to try to do this if you guys think that it would work.  
  
Thanks a bunch. And tell me what you think. And remember. I didn't just bring everybody back to life. I never told you that they were dead!!! Heh heh heh...I love the little ways to get around things!  
  
I want to Thank: Megan - for drilling me like a slave master so that I go this thing finished and for not being to nice about it either. You're the best Q!!  
  
Reviewers - for keeping my spirits up while I was writing this. I don't think even Megan could have gotten my finishing this up if you guys weren't there reviewing.  
  
Emailers - there were only a few of you and I still have your emails! Thank you! There is nothing like getting an email from a reader, I think that it's the best feeling in the world to think that somebody to the time to write a letter. It made me feel all tingly inside! (^ ^)  
  
Thanks a bunch everyone. I love you all...in a metaphorical way...and if you guys want me to write anything then just tell me. Ah...I do think that I'm going to touch this up a bit. Its really rough (my writing style and writing in general wasn't brought out to its best in this story, sorry about that). Give me ideas and I'll try to fulfill (though they might be short stories unless its really good and I like (^ -).  
  
Thanks again!  
  
Duo-chan 


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